Being Sharp and Smiling!

 

Yesterday as I was driving home from an appointment, I noticed a billboard on the road that says “ Blueberries –2 for $6.. “ Wow!”  I said to myself….”Just what I needed.  So I parked my car and approached a fruit cart that was filled with all sorts of fresh fruits.

As I came near to the fruit cart, a middle aged man greeted me with this:  “ Good morning! Beautiful Lady! “.  I was immediately startled not by the word ‘ beautiful ‘ which I hear often enough but by his beaming smiles.  And often, many shop keepers do not bother to smile or greet their customers.   I returned this man’s kindness by giving him my biggest smile.
And somehow these words flew out of my mouth, “ Good morning!  Does the beautiful lady gets a better price for the blueberries ? “.  I was of course joking!  The price was more than reasonable and I couldn’t have asked for anything more than that!.  The man replied me: “ Hey, you are sharp and beautiful!  I Like it! “.   This made me laughed so much that I had tears coming from my eyes!   “ I can’t lower the price but these cherries are on me. “ as he handed me  a handful of red juicy cherries which looked divine and which I gladly accepted.

The morale of the story is the importance of a simple smile.  Very often, we are consumed by our own selfishness that we forget to smile!  We forget to say “thank you” ! And then if you are too friendly, people become suspicious of your ulterior motive!  Then some of us become disillusioned because something did not serve them well. We need to remember that no matter what, God is kind and we have to be kind!  Thank you , my courteous readers for coming by!  You are deeply appreciated!  And I am smiling at you!

This is Love!

Today I am inspired by the song — “ This is love! “  by will.i.am.  I first heard the song on a MTV show on TV.  This song makes me think of the things that I love to do, the people that I love, and much more………

God makes each one of us unique and special.  There is only one me and only one you…..  Each one of us has a special role while we are here.  We do not have to be a genius to fulfill this role.

Recent events in my life have changed my outlook slightly…..I am starting to realize that no matter how hard I try,  something seems to be out of my reach….sometimes things just happen.  That does not mean that I am disappointed or disillusioned.  I just become more reflective.

Image is from Royal Free images!

 

So who are the people that I love ?  And why I love doing certain things ? …..Huge question but the answer is simple.  I love my family and my friends.  I love my job. I am addicted to social media…and of course I love it.  I love music.  I enjoy walking and exercise and love watching movies, dramas, sports on television and much more…….

When I say I love someone, I mean I love that person with all my heart… luke-warm feeling is out of the question– but one that is like that of hot fire burning….really hot burning with passion…and this is me.  My kind of love and passion often gets me into emotional stress because I do expect people or persons to love me back as much as I love them and this is of course wrong because I shouldn’t  and deep down I know it… and GOD forbids.  But guess what….this is love!

 

Those of you who know me well,  know that I love my job as a teacher.  I love the kids that I teach.  They make me feel young at heart.   We learn from each other and we enjoy each other’s company most of the time.  I love my colleagues…most of them think I am a different kind of teacher because my love for technologies is overflowing in their opinion.  They think of me as a person who has a great sense of humour and they dare to tease me in a large crowd situation.

 

Yes!  I love Social Media.  I fell in love with it four years ago when I was introduced to it at a conference.  I was like a duck diving into the water as if there was no return. So what does that mean ?  Well,  I am addicted to Twitter, Facebook, Google + and much more….. Yes!  I call this LOVE because when I tweet , I become instantly happy when my friends interact with me.  I share events, photos and other stuff online because it is through this way, people are able to perceive the person I am.  And through Facebook, I have met some of my best friends.  Last year when I was sick, a Facebook friend sent me a bunch of flowers……and he lives thousands and thousands of miles away….separated by vast ocean.   We have never met and I never gave him my address but he was able to track me to my work place!  It was a really charming and awesome act…..touched!   So Huh!—-Who says you can’t have real friends online ?  He and his wife are two of my best friends online and we have never met but we are hoping to in the future.

So there you go, my courteous readers!  Thanks so much for coming by!   Just know that you are very much appreciated!  We are online friends but we are FRIENDS! and much more….

Daring to be Different!

Ever since I was a kid, I had always felt uneasy conforming to anything ranging from thinking to beliefs.  I was told that as a two year old, I had refused to wear a shirt because I thought  it was ugly–it was my grandma’s funeral and we had to wear some traditional clothes. I only discovered this when I questioned my mom why I was half naked in a photo that was taken at  my grandma’s funeral.  Apparently, I could hardly speak a proper sentence yet ( as a 2 year old)  but I made it very clear that it was not for me. (HAHA)!.

When I was at university, I discovered that daring to be different was again of advantage to me.  I was working in a Chinese Restaurant, one major credit card company was looking for someone who was willing to appear in their advertisement.  One night, I was serving the photographer of that company and he approached me and I said “ YES” without any thinking!  So I became instantly famous among my friends….I knew I was safe because only people who watched TV frequently and only people who knew me would recognize me!  Even my own parents had no idea about this little adventure of mine!  But I did get a shock of my life one night when a distant friend rang up to say that:  “ Hey, you were on TV last night! “.  I have to confess that I had enjoyed my little moment of  fame!

Then I became a teacher. As a teacher, I find myself on the constant struggle to be a typical traditional teacher.  In my first year of teaching, I was cruising because my Team leader was busy and had hardly had time to watch closely every aspect of my teaching methods but she was very impressed that I had raised the students achievement especially in the reading abilities of many 5 and 6 year olds.  There was the whisper that I had a secret formula…haha…I DO!

In my second year of teaching, there was the birth of Web 2 tools and I was the first teacher in my school who became addicted to using these tools to enhance the students learning.  I created a Flickr account and began uploading my class computer’s graphics and videos non-stop and they were viewed by people all over the world. Besides, Flickr, I am also heavily into using animoto, teacher tube and various other Web 2 tools.   And as for this very moment, my class has its own blog where I post the students work frequently.  This is what I mean by “ Daring to be different!”.

Well, my courteous readers, do you dare to be different ?  My very own quote describes me best: Don’t blend in, be outstanding! Life is too short to be boring! #quote #JShe

Once again, thanks for taking time to read this!  Much appreciated!

The Meaning of Compassion……

The meaning of compassion….

Today I encountered a very unusual experience. I had just finished shopping at the supermarket and was at the car park loading my shoppings into the boot of my car when I was approached by an unusual looking man.  He resembled one that lived on the street and in New Zealand, some would call him a “hobo”–a man with no home.  Anyway his appearance gave me creeps!

“ Lady!  Would you give me some money to buy petrol for my car? “, he called out!.  As he came closer, I could smell the ‘booze’ coming from his mouth and I noticed that he had no shoes on and his clothes were full of holes.  I was startled and I looked at him intensely.  I stood motionless for a few minutes and then I said to him: “ OMG! What happened to you ? “.

“ Oh, I just came from the South Island and am on my way to see my cousin who lives over the shore but my car ran out of petrol.  I tried to get some cash from the cash flow machine and now my card has been swallowed by the machine and I am stuck and my phone has no credit.”…he replied.

Strange thing happened next.   I found myself reaching my handbag and got my wallet and handed him a $10 note.  “ Here! Take this!  But I want you to do this for me. Get a cup of coffee and rest for 10 minutes before you use the rest of the money to get petrol so you can get to your cousin.”  I said to him.

He was shaking when he stretched his arm trying to reach the money from my hand.  Tears flowed from his eyes but he was brave enough to control himself and he uttered the following words; “ Lady, you are an angel that God has sent to me!  Thank you! Thank you!  Tell me, how can I repay you when I have the money ? “.  Tears were still coming from his cheek…..

“ No worries!  You don’t have to pay me back!  It’s ok. Its only money! You can always earn money back.  You take care and be on the way to your cousin soon.” I replied.

When I got back home, I told some friends and family members of my experience.  I was told I was a fool and that I should never have wasted my $10.  Phew…..

Well, my friends!  I am sticking to what I believe. The man was in trouble and he needed help. He had approached many other people before he came to me as I found out later.  A lady whose car was parked next to me told me that.  This lady also witnessed him asking a few other persons.  Poor guy!  I wanted him to get to his cousin and I gave him a hint that the money was meant to buy petrol not BOOZE!  I also did not want him to resort to criminal activity to get what he wanted.  I call this “ compassion “ and my money was not wasted.   My $10 is well spent and …..God would be proud of what I had done!

Well, my courteous readers, what do you think?  Comments are appreciated.

Setting the Trend!

This morning, as I was driving home from my monthly facial appointment, I was held up at a set of  traffic lights.  The reason being that there was a programming problem.  It was not letting the lights on our lane to go green.  My car was the 5th on the lane and as I looked back, the queue was long —going back to the junction of the road.  As I sat and listened to the music, I was getting impatient!  I was hungry and thirsty. Hm…how long was it going to last ?  The strange thing was everybody seemed happy waiting–assuming that nobody actually knew how long it had been going on!  Then it came to my head that I didn’t have to wait if I didn’t want to. I had a choice. There was enough room in front of my car for me to shift to the left lane and then head to a different road.  So that was what I did!  I drove to the left lane and went further up the road and avoided that set of traffic lights.  As l was doing it, I could see the car behind me following the same step as me. And then the whole of cars were doing the same thing except for the four cars in front of me! (assuming that they were not aware of things happening behind them).  Then when I stopped at the next set of traffic lights, I noticed a guy waving at me.   He raised his thump up and gave me a big smile and I gave him the sweetest smile back. So in life, you don’t have to follow the crowd , you can set the trend!

Hey, I had set the trend!  Hurray!  Haha

Thanks, my courteous readers for coming by!  Love all of you!

Music that Inspires me!

Me listening to music!

As mentioned in my previous post, listening to music is an absolute necessity for me in my spare time!  Music not only gives me tremendous amount of pleasure. it gives me inspiration for creating my own movies–( Making movies –mainly for my class and school is another passion of mine. I have made over hundreds of movies in my ten years of teaching.)

Today, while tweeting, I came across a tweet that said: ” Five musicians and one guitar “. My eyes sparkle as soon as I read that.  ” OMG!” –that was my expression! –after I have watched the video.  It was so awesome and beautiful that I couldn’t help myself  loving the song and its music!   I immediately shared it on my Facebook  profile and Google Plus.  I also posted it on a dear friend’s profile because I know he will appreciate it too.  The responses were as immediate as my “OMG” expression.  Knowing that so many people love it makes me feel that sharing the love is such a joy!  Praise the Lord for that gift!

I have hereby included this video for you to enjoy!
Once again, my courteous readers, thanks for coming by! I really appreciate each and everyone of you!

Music Saves My Soul….

Music Saves My Soul…..

Music Saves My Soul….

Me listening to music!

Listening to music is another favorite hobby of mine.   I do this a lot when I am tired, sad, bored and just when I am missing something/somebody.

Music is a funny thing.  The moment the sound enters my ears, my mood changes.  Almost immediately, I can feel the pumping of my heart responding to the every beat of the music.  It soothes me like a baby feeling the warmth of the mother’s body.  The almost heavenly feeling is incredible and I feel immediately happy, motivated, challenged and inspired.

In actual fact, I listen to music all the time when I am on my Macbook except when I am chatting online or teaching in my classroom. I use my headphones which I am thankful that they give me the most perfect beautiful acoustic sound.

The range of music that I love varies from classical, country to pop and hip hop.  As long as they are music, I love them.  When I was little, I heard the Beatles and I learned to love them and now I think they are the real classics which I can’t get enough of.  Then there are artists like Michael Jackson amd Justin Timberlake whom I love dearly.  Chris Brown and Jason Derulo, Jennifer Lopez and Keri Hilson are some other artists that I also adore.  Recently, the piece of “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida captures my heart.  Whenever I am feeling blue, I will turn to this piece for solace.

Here is ” Good Feeling” by Flo Rida for you to enjoy!

 

 

Having a Go at Photography!

Rose

Yellow Flowers

I was reading a blog post written by a Facebook friend and was really inspired by his work on photography.  He is a young man who is always full of energy and original ideas.  He does not have the best camera but he makes use of what is available to him.  He once told me as a student, he can’t expect his father to buy him the most expensive camera.  So there he clicks away with his phone camera and his photos are still amazing to me.  The moral of the story is ” The happiest people don’t have everything, they just make the best of everything.”.  Wow!  This is so true!  So I said to myself– if this young man can do it, I can do it too.  Yesterday when I was out for a walk, I decided that I would start taking photos of any flowers that I could find with my iphone 4S.  And here they are!

An Orange RoseWhite FlowersAnother White Flower!Purple Flowers!RoseYellow Flowers

My capsicum plant is a beauty!

In summer I grow a few vegetables at the little patch of land that I have at the back of my house.  Capsicum and tomatoes are my favorite because they are easy to look after and they are great for salads!

Summer veges