freedom...on the 57th independence

freedom or independence seems to be the word of the day today.

well, it is not surprising really since it is the nation's 57th independence day....or shall i just say peninsular malaysia's independence.

what does freedom mean to you??

using the three pictures i have here, let me put it down in words. haha

freedom means to be able to enjoy the little pleasures in life and to me, shopping for a bargain is one of them.  all work and no play makes jack a dull boy, so the saying goes.....and i have been working really hard these few weeks. i am really yearning for a whole body massage when time permits. the shoulders feel so stiff there are so many knots there which need some magic touches to untangle them.

the urge to go for a shopping spree is really there in the body, but the rational mind is telling me to halt this plan because deep down, i know i am going to regret it when i blow a few hundred bucks on one day of shopping. hence, online shopping came in and it was sort of a release, a liberation when i ordered the sweater in the screen capture above for rm85. only a woman knows the kind of joy that burst in the heart when that parcel arrives via express post. the fit is right too.....so this is one sweater which will be following me to china end of this year.

freedom also means being able to do things i love...one which is exercise. well, these shoes did not clock in any miles today unfortunately because of the unpredictable weather. they went to a restaurant instead to have dinner because of my rumbling stomach. i actually forgot that i did not eat much for lunch and only when the tummy rumbled, did i remember that i only had 2 glasses of blended pear and dragon fruit and a piece of potato fritter. i did not expect the smoothie to keep me full for that long. this is good. i should be able to incorporate smoothies in my diet in an attempt to eat healthier and to loose the bulge in the tummy area.

last but not least, freedom today means being able to see an ex-colleague of a different race to hand her this handmade rubber bracelet at her house. we were actually in the same secondary school, she was few years my junior, but we did not know each other then. we only met when she came to the same working place as i was after her graduation. freedom means we can strike up friendship with whoever we want and not be bound by a set of rules.

the colours on the bracelet represent the brilliant colours that fill our lives when there is freedom of expression, of love, of movement, .... the list is endless.

i do appreciate the freedom i have and i pray that it will be appreciated and enjoyed by the future generations.

happy 57th independent day.

a heady time with books and work.

can't remember when was the last time i have blogged here..i think it has been weeks.
well, blame it on the uninteresting life.......hmmmmm.....actually life was not as dull as expressed here.

work is getting busier since the major exams are around the corner now and there is the pressure for everyone to perform. so in order for them to perform, who is going to give the pressure? pressure comes from the boss, and we go to schools and show our faces and indirectly give pressure to the teachers. i had a few fruitful sessions as well where i managed to hold the marker pen and demonstrate in front of the kids and teachers how to do some activities. i felt on cloud nine when the teachers texted me their gratitude....those messages really made my day. it made me more confident in what i am doing. i am keeping my fingers crossed that results will improve....it will be nerve-wrecking when they are released.

and oh, i had been keeping myself busy reading these three books here:

finally eh? i wouldn't be reading them if not for a friend who gifted me the first one. those who have read would know how addictive it was and luckily, i managed to borrow the second and the third one in the trilogy from someone who is deemed too young to read them. haha....she bought them because they were bestsellers without realising the plot and content.

the content was not as bad as expected, in fact, i was actually visualising something 10 times worse than what was in the book. i guess my tolerance level is quite high. it must be the early exposure to mills and boons in secondary school and jackie collins also in secondary school. there was nothing much to shout about in the end i realised. it was fun when i was reading them and it was definitely a page-turner. but now that i have come to the end of the book, it is time to move on. i need some cleansing. haha.

actually i started and finished another book - the secret life of bees, while waiting for the second book to be delivered to me. it was a good distraction. the secret life of bees is definitely a much better book and i am going to recommend it to the girls.

and so the book i am moving to is this:

totally a different genre all together....i hope it is good. but at the back of the mind this week will be grey and anastasia still. you can't help visualising after reading all their trysts.

i am still feeling a bit under the weather....i have caught a cold even though i slept without using the fan for the past week due to the wet and cold weather. i even slept wearing my socks! my respiratory system is really sensitive. it started with very very parched throat, because of the weather and quite a lot of talking due to work, and this weekend, finally the sneezes and running nose came. the nose is dry now and the phlegm gone from the throat, but the throat is still dry. gosh, how am i going to keep my voice for this week when it is a crucial one? drink more water and get some lozenges from the pharmacy i guess. and oh, get a thicker blanket!! ish ish!

the motto here will be one i keep close to heart. i wish every teacher will remember this when they are teaching and not point their fingers at the kids all the time. i still have hope in this profession and i do want to keep my job. if only all teachers can embrace the quotation above. one can always hope.