By Leonara Chin, 19
SMK Green Road
I was walking up the stairs of the auditorium, where the finals of the district level dance competition was to be held in a few hours, when a shabby teenage boy ran down to meet me.
"Miss Lee, they won't let us in," the boy named Jake frantically said to me.
I frowned, but nodded as we walked up the stairs together. There, four other teenagers were waiting for me.
"Miss Lee?" they called out in unison when they saw me. I smiled at them before walking up to the broad-shouldered security guard.
"Hi, we are one of the groups performing today, please let us in," I said calmly, while trying to maintain a stern eye contact with the guard.
The guard cocked his brows, as if suggesting otherwise.
"Do you need to read the legal papers that I have?" I pressed further, with a hint of frustration.
The burly man snorted before stepping aside. I waved to the five teenagers to come over, and we entered together.
"Woah...", exclaimed Jake as we stepped into the huge hall that would be the venue for the dance competition.
"In about an hour, this whole place will be filled to the brim, can you handle that?" I reminded them gently.
"Gee, M's Lee, I d'no, I'll prob'ly be shakin'," Emma grinned, some of her front teeth missing.
"Stay calm! You will not be seeing anything, remember?" I assured her.
Emma nodded and took a deep breath.
Just then, a group of haughty looking guys walked by. Based on their flashy outfits, they were contestants too. Their instructor, crinkled his nose and spoke in loud voice, "I don't even know how these people got into the finals."
"Mr Adams, let's just leave. I can't stand the smell of poor people," the boy standing in the front said.
When the group left, it was clear that the confidence level of our group had been shattered.
Sam looked confused and immediately smelled himself. "But I washed up, I don't smell today," he said softly.
"It's not your fault...", I tried to say.
"No, Miss Lee. They are right, we can never win. We don't belong here," another girl named Kate interrupted me.
I was going to reply when a voice behind me beat me to it.
"Of course we do! Have we worked less than them? We deserve this chance as much as anyone else here today!" Chris, the reserved and scrawny looking boy spoke up.
I smiled.
"Chris is right, we can't afford to feel discouraged now. We have come as far as the finals, right? The judges believe you should be here, so believe in yourself. You much learn to know your worth before others can see it," I reminded them. "Remember what we promised to do when we win the prize?"
"I'm gettin' m'self some dentures," Emma immediately said.
"I'm buying a new pair of shoes," Kate said, looking longingly at her tattered white shoes.
"I'm buying the best body soap for myself!" Sam grinned.
"I'm giving it to my mum so that she can use it to buy groceries," Jake smiled.
"I'm buying a teddy bear to keep Jenny company in the hospital," Chris replied. Jenny, his younger sister, had been hospitalised due to high fever.
"Then remember your promise as you perform on stage," I told them.
They nodded.
***
The time finally arrived.
After about an hour of warming up and last minute rehearsals, the competition finally began. I watched, performance after performance with some anxiety. Clearly, some of the teams stood out, but I had faith in the kids.
When it was their turn, Jake led the team on stage, while I watched from the front row.
"What is the name of your team?" the lead judge asked.
"We are the Outcasts," Jake confidently replied.
"And what it the concept of your performance based upon?" the judge asked again.
"Our lives," Jake replied, "We are beggars and pickpockets who live on the streets."
The judges were silent. Murmurs could be heard from the crowd watching the competition.
"And what is the title of your performance today?" the judge finally asked.
"Blindfolded dancing," Jake replied.
"Well, please proceed," the judge said.
I kept my fingers crossed, as each of them took out a coloured sash from their pockets and tied it around their eyes, completely immobilising their sight. The would have to depend fully on the beat of the music and their instincts to make it work.
The crowd hushed in anticipation.
The music started, and they moved around in sync. Despite being blindfolded, they moved in perfect harmony, keeping their routine flawless. The crowd roared in endless cheer. I nearly cried watching them perform, and memories of my first encounter with this young group flashed through my mind.
I am a social worker. It all began one fateful day when I was visiting the 'second class' neighbourhood in town. As I was walking, a teenage boy appeared out of nowhere and snatched my handbag. I screamed and gave chase, but had to stop in my tracks when I watched that boy leap over a wall higher than either one of us. Taking another route, I followed suit until I was at the other side of the wall where I found the boy - and the others. The one who stole my handbag was Sam, and Jake was in the midst of lecturing him for robbing a lady.
I began spending time with them and slowly, they stopped picking pickets or committing snatch thefts. And when I found out they could dance, I enrolled them in the competition.
For years, they had lived aimlessly, influenced by the environment they grew up in. Not only was it not conducive for their development, they didn't have a good role model to look up to. They committed petty crimes, following in the footsteps of those around them.
This competition renewed their hope and gave them something to live for.
All of them went back to school, leaving their old lifestyles behind. Jake, the oldest, would be graduating from high school next spring. He has promised to look for a real job and leave his criminal acts in the past.
The crowd's cheering went up a notch, shaking me out of my reverie. The performance was nearing the end. I watched nervously as the five of them prepared for the grand finale. This was the toughest part of the whole routine; a wrong move could result in broken bones.
I gasped as Emma and Kate did a flip before landing in a full split, while Sam, who had moved far back, charged forward and leaped over between the shoulders of Jake and Chris, landing perfectly in his desired pose.
The crowd didn't stop cheering for five minutes. Overwhelmed with happiness, I jumped on stage to hug all of them. I was so proud of them, not just because of the performance, but also because of their complete change in character.
***
As we made our way out of the hall, beaming with pride, we met Mr Adams who was still shaking in disbelief. His team was nowhere to be seen.
"How did your group manage to perform like that?" he asked, shaking his head.
I smiled at him and left thinking to myself:
If you have not experienced loss, you'll never learn to appreciate an opportunity.
If you have not felt a sense of hopelessness in your life, you will never work hard for anything.
If you have never been short of anything in your life, you will never appreciate victory.
Taken from Stuff@School, The Star, Monday 27 August 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Will and Guy's Joke of the Day #348
* A. A. A. D. D. - Classic Retirement Syndrome
Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. � Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests itself:
I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the rubbish bin under the table, and notice that the bin is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my chequebook off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye: they need to be watered.
I place the coke down on the work surface, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the work top, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone has left it on the kitchen table.
I realise that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the lounge where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
* The car isn't washed
* The bills aren't paid
* There is a warm can of coke sitting on the work surface
* The flowers don't have enough water
* There is still only one cheque in my chequebook
* I can't find the remote
* I can't find my glasses and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realise this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
PS. I just remembered, I left the water running .................
Taken from my email
Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. � Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests itself:
I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide my car needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the rubbish bin under the table, and notice that the bin is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my chequebook off the table, and see that there is only one cheque left. My extra cheques are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my cheques, but first I need to push the coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye: they need to be watered.
I place the coke down on the work surface, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the work top, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone has left it on the kitchen table.
I realise that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the lounge where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
* The car isn't washed
* The bills aren't paid
* There is a warm can of coke sitting on the work surface
* The flowers don't have enough water
* There is still only one cheque in my chequebook
* I can't find the remote
* I can't find my glasses and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realise this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
PS. I just remembered, I left the water running .................
Taken from my email
Monday, May 14, 2012
Children and Their Ideas
A kindergarten pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat. She asked him if it was dead or alive.
"Dead." she was informed.
"How do you know?" she asked her pupil.
"Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move" answered the child innocently.
"You did WHAT?!?" the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
"You know", explained the boy, "I leaned over and went 'Pssst!' and it didn't move."
"Dead." she was informed.
"How do you know?" she asked her pupil.
"Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move" answered the child innocently.
"You did WHAT?!?" the teacher exclaimed in surprise.
"You know", explained the boy, "I leaned over and went 'Pssst!' and it didn't move."
A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later.... "Da-d...."
"What?"
"I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?"
"No. You had your chance. Lights out."
Five minutes later: "Da-aaaad....."
"WHAT?"
"I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??"
"I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!!"
Five minutes later......"Daaaa-aaaad....."
"WHAT!"
"When you come in to spank me, can you bring a drink of water?"
"What?"
"I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?"
"No. You had your chance. Lights out."
Five minutes later: "Da-aaaad....."
"WHAT?"
"I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??"
"I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!!"
Five minutes later......"Daaaa-aaaad....."
"WHAT!"
"When you come in to spank me, can you bring a drink of water?"
An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him, "How do you expect to get into Heaven?"
The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, "For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"
The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, "For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"
One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?".
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug.
"I can't dear" she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room".
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy".
The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug.
"I can't dear" she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room".
A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy".
It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon. All the children were invited to come forward. One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat down, the pastor leaned over and said, "That is a very pretty dress. Is it your Easter Dress?".
The little girl replied, directly into the pastor's clip-on microphone, "Yes, and my Mom says it's a bitch to iron.".
The little girl replied, directly into the pastor's clip-on microphone, "Yes, and my Mom says it's a bitch to iron.".
When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy, you are getting fat!".
I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy".
"I know", she replied, "but what's growing in your butt?"
I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy".
"I know", she replied, "but what's growing in your butt?"
A little boy was doing his math homework. He said to himself, "Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven. Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine."
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped "What are you doing?"
The little boy answered "I'm doing my math homework, Mom."
"And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?" the mother asked.
"Yes", he answered. Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, "What are you teaching my son in math?"
The teacher replied, "Right now, we are learning addition."
The mother asked, "And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?"
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, "What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four."
His mother heard what he was saying and gasped "What are you doing?"
The little boy answered "I'm doing my math homework, Mom."
"And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?" the mother asked.
"Yes", he answered. Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, "What are you teaching my son in math?"
The teacher replied, "Right now, we are learning addition."
The mother asked, "And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?"
After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, "What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four."
One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is falling!' ".
The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?".
One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: "Holy Shit! A talking chicken!".
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?".
One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: "Holy Shit! A talking chicken!".
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.
Taken from the website:
Friday, March 9, 2012
:: Ash Greig’s 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult ::
With each passing day, we grow one day older. We grow one day wiser. We become better people, able to handle situations that we thought we wouldn't be able to handle. We become adults. One must remember that with adulthood, comes responsibility.
Through experience, I've learned a lot when it comes to handling responsibility - I think my parents did a good job in that department. My mum introduced me to the topic of the birds and the bees when I was 10, and told me how things might go spiraling out of control if I wasn't responsible. She taught me how to cook, iron and clean by the time I was 12. She taught me how to be independent by the time I was 13, so that if anything were to happen to her, I'd be able to survive on my own. She taught me organizational and management skills when I was 15, so that I wouldn't have a problem in my educational and career development in the future.
With (almost) 26 years behind me, I've come to understand how one's life changes with each passing day. We all make mistakes once in a while. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and become a better person after that. You’re not 10 anymore – stop acting like one. It’s time to grow some balls (regardless of your sex) and take full responsibility for all your actions.
So here you are, my 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult.
Step 1: Stop blaming others for your mistakes. So you listened to her advice and went ahead and bought that RM1500 silk skirt. Or he managed to get you to spend 3 months worth of your salary on Apple’s latest uber-cool gadget. You’re the one who decided to get it in the end, so don’t you dare point your finger at him/her and wail “It’s all your fault!” because it isn’t. :)
Step 2: When we’re given a task to handle, accept it and make sure you do what you must. If your lecturer gives you an assignment to finish, get it done by the due date, and not come up with excuses for your incompetency. If your boss allocates a task to you, sort it out before he/she sends you reminders about 5 times before you decide to get your lazy behind moving. :)
Step 3: Sometimes we go a little off-tangent when it comes to choosing our significant others. He slaps or hits you whenever he’s mad. She spends your month’s salary in half an hour just because you forgot to call her last night. Why are you still with that selfish waste bag? You don’t need bruises on your arms or a dried-up bank account to know that he/she isn’t the one for you. :)
Step 4: Quit acting as though you’re the one with the world’s biggest problems. Yes, we all have our issues, we all have our worries. That doesn’t mean you should go on and on and on about it, complaining and wailing to every listening ear. There are people who’re going through a lot worse out there – people who don’t know if they’ll be alive the next day because they don’t have anything to eat or a roof above their head. :)
Step 5: If you’re not happy with someone, or you have a problem with the way he/she tackles an issue, tell it to their face. Going behind the person’s back and gossip-mongering isn’t going to solve anything. If you feel you have ideas that could bring about better outcomes, talk about it in the open. :)
Step 6: You cannot depend on your parents to help you out forever. So you got a little carried away and decided to get a couple of credit cards to buy that awesome sound system and leather sofa set. Now when you can’t afford to pay back your dues to the bank, you call up your parents and make them help you out. You got yourself into the ditch, you climb your way back out like a man. :)
Step 7: If you’re not happy with your job, do something about it. Badmouthing your boss or spreading rumours about your colleagues isn’t going to be the key to your happiness. Not turning up for work and coming up with excuses doesn’t reflect well on you either. Leave the job, or make some changes in your attitude. :)
Step 8: Your mother did not give birth to you to be a doormat for everyone else around you. He tells you to go buy him some weed, you run. She tells you to finish her homework for her, you do it without a flinch. Your boss tells you to “show some skin” during dinner with a client, you do it with a smile. Grow a backbone and learn how to say NO! You have to live by your principles, or else you’d have people labeling you as “easy” or “spineless”. :)
Step 9: Before you judge others around you, grab a mirror and look at your own reflection first. You think you’re so perfect? Yes, she may be fat and not attractive. He may be intelligent but hasn’t many friends. But you, o proud one, has the heart of rotten eggs and the mind of an evil witch. Being an adult means accepting everyone’s flaw, even your own, and moving on from there. :)
Step 10: Learn to accept the points of view of others around you. We’re all human beings and we have one thing in common: we’re all different in our own unique way. We may agree on some things, we may not on others. Stop being childish and stomping your feet screaming “I’m right! You’re wrong! I’m the smart one, you’re all stupid!” – it only makes one look like a fool in the end. Tolerance is the key here. :)
By Ashley Greig
taken from Ash Greig’s 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult
Through experience, I've learned a lot when it comes to handling responsibility - I think my parents did a good job in that department. My mum introduced me to the topic of the birds and the bees when I was 10, and told me how things might go spiraling out of control if I wasn't responsible. She taught me how to cook, iron and clean by the time I was 12. She taught me how to be independent by the time I was 13, so that if anything were to happen to her, I'd be able to survive on my own. She taught me organizational and management skills when I was 15, so that I wouldn't have a problem in my educational and career development in the future.
With (almost) 26 years behind me, I've come to understand how one's life changes with each passing day. We all make mistakes once in a while. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and become a better person after that. You’re not 10 anymore – stop acting like one. It’s time to grow some balls (regardless of your sex) and take full responsibility for all your actions.
So here you are, my 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult.
Step 1: Stop blaming others for your mistakes. So you listened to her advice and went ahead and bought that RM1500 silk skirt. Or he managed to get you to spend 3 months worth of your salary on Apple’s latest uber-cool gadget. You’re the one who decided to get it in the end, so don’t you dare point your finger at him/her and wail “It’s all your fault!” because it isn’t. :)
Step 2: When we’re given a task to handle, accept it and make sure you do what you must. If your lecturer gives you an assignment to finish, get it done by the due date, and not come up with excuses for your incompetency. If your boss allocates a task to you, sort it out before he/she sends you reminders about 5 times before you decide to get your lazy behind moving. :)
Step 3: Sometimes we go a little off-tangent when it comes to choosing our significant others. He slaps or hits you whenever he’s mad. She spends your month’s salary in half an hour just because you forgot to call her last night. Why are you still with that selfish waste bag? You don’t need bruises on your arms or a dried-up bank account to know that he/she isn’t the one for you. :)
Step 4: Quit acting as though you’re the one with the world’s biggest problems. Yes, we all have our issues, we all have our worries. That doesn’t mean you should go on and on and on about it, complaining and wailing to every listening ear. There are people who’re going through a lot worse out there – people who don’t know if they’ll be alive the next day because they don’t have anything to eat or a roof above their head. :)
Step 5: If you’re not happy with someone, or you have a problem with the way he/she tackles an issue, tell it to their face. Going behind the person’s back and gossip-mongering isn’t going to solve anything. If you feel you have ideas that could bring about better outcomes, talk about it in the open. :)
Step 6: You cannot depend on your parents to help you out forever. So you got a little carried away and decided to get a couple of credit cards to buy that awesome sound system and leather sofa set. Now when you can’t afford to pay back your dues to the bank, you call up your parents and make them help you out. You got yourself into the ditch, you climb your way back out like a man. :)
Step 7: If you’re not happy with your job, do something about it. Badmouthing your boss or spreading rumours about your colleagues isn’t going to be the key to your happiness. Not turning up for work and coming up with excuses doesn’t reflect well on you either. Leave the job, or make some changes in your attitude. :)
Step 8: Your mother did not give birth to you to be a doormat for everyone else around you. He tells you to go buy him some weed, you run. She tells you to finish her homework for her, you do it without a flinch. Your boss tells you to “show some skin” during dinner with a client, you do it with a smile. Grow a backbone and learn how to say NO! You have to live by your principles, or else you’d have people labeling you as “easy” or “spineless”. :)
Step 9: Before you judge others around you, grab a mirror and look at your own reflection first. You think you’re so perfect? Yes, she may be fat and not attractive. He may be intelligent but hasn’t many friends. But you, o proud one, has the heart of rotten eggs and the mind of an evil witch. Being an adult means accepting everyone’s flaw, even your own, and moving on from there. :)
Step 10: Learn to accept the points of view of others around you. We’re all human beings and we have one thing in common: we’re all different in our own unique way. We may agree on some things, we may not on others. Stop being childish and stomping your feet screaming “I’m right! You’re wrong! I’m the smart one, you’re all stupid!” – it only makes one look like a fool in the end. Tolerance is the key here. :)
By Ashley Greig
taken from Ash Greig’s 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult
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