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Remembering you, from a grateful pupil

"Hope" is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune without the words And never stops at all And sweetest in the Gale is heard And sore must be the storm That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm I've heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest Sea Yet, never, in Extremity, It asked a crumb of Me.  - Emily Dickinson And so a much loved teacher passed away yesterday at 11:30am from lung cancer, not in Ireland (which was the country he was born and bred in), but in another land 6,800 miles away where he had devoted much of his life as an educator. This was the last poem he taught me in English literature which has since become one of my favourite poems.  My thoughts drift back to the days where we would go on this magical literary ride into Oscar Wilde's satirical world, Mary Shelley's gothic yet spectacular novel as we delved into the inner world of Dr Victor Frankenstein (the scientist who was fi...

As a woman living in the 21st century

From Emily Wierenga's blog - I've read a little about what she's been through. I really respect her and am in awe at how God has developed her character and helped her persevere through such hard times. I LOVE THIS! It is just so beautiful and a reflection of the person of Jesus in her life. As a woman living in the 21st century I will live as though I have a thousand daughters , even though I have none, because every girl is my daughter and when she sees me, or engages with me, she's looking to me for how to live. So I will live, I will smile, I will laugh, I will speak, and I will pray as though her heart and soul depend on it. As a woman living in the 21st century I will not judge myself based on numbers. My worth will not be determined by my weight, by my height, by my social security number, by my Blog followers or Google followers or by Facebook and Twitter. Only one number will ever matter to me, that is, the number One, who is God, who is my biggest fan, ...

In the event of an earthquake

From getthru What to do DURING a seismic "rock concert" 1. Drop 2. Cover (make sure you're completely under a table) 3. Hold on If you are.. Inside a building:  move no more than a few steps, drop, cover and hold. Stay indoors till the shaking stops and you are sure it is safe to exit. At the beach or near the coast:  drop, cover and hold then move to higher ground immediately in case a tsunami follows the quake. If you are driving:  pull over to a clear location, stop and stay there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Once shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged. If you are in a mountainous area or near unstable slopes or cliffs:  be alert for falling debris or landslides. In an elevator:  drop, cover and hold. When the shaking stops, try and get out at the nearest floor if you can safely do so. Outdoors when the shaking starts:  move no more than a few step...

What's amused me this week

#1 My lecturer called me "A-bi-gel", English isn't her first language.. but it's so nice to hear my name being mispronounced! Can't help smiling thinking about it. I grew up having most of my teachers from primary through to high school pronouncing my name incorrectly. My teachers' versions of it were, "Ah-bee-gail", "A-bee-gay-yel", "A-bee-girl", and "A-bee-gall". I've always enjoyed hearing different versions of my name. Less amused with the extremely creative ways my classmates played with my name though -__- But since leaving home, everyone's got my name spot on.  #2 One of the boys I work with at the disabled unit in school didn't like how I'd cut my hair so short. He's normally the first one to hand out compliments, "Abby, I like your long hair" or "Abby, you look nice". Hahaha, but today, he was like: "Abby, you cut your hair. It's so.... short." Awww, you ca...

Baby 59

The story about the baby in China (named Baby 59 after his incubator number) really moved me and many hearts across the globe. The baby's received donations from his rescuers and countless offers were made within China and overseas to adopt the baby. It really angered me - what mother in her right mind would flush her baby down the toilet. Watching this video footage of the firefighters rescuing the baby from the pipeline really made me cringe. But there is a somewhat happy conclusion to this story! Two days after the baby was found, his 22-year-old mother came forward. Apparently, she had slept with a man, and hid her pregnancy from her neighbours, friends and family. Initially suspected of homicide, police now believe her account that her baby had slipped from her fingers (right after she'd given birth) into the squat toilet bowl (is that what you call it?). While she was trying to retrieve him with a stick, the water was too murky (with blood) so she decided to flush th...

Friday night

Yesterday night, I learnt that I'm very bad at asking for help when I really need it because I really hate troubling people and I would rather suffer in silence. But yesterday I also learnt that sometimes, it's quite important to put my pride aside and ask for help especially  when I need it. And there are kind souls out there who are willing to go out of their way to help, even if they don't know you.

Les Misérables, the postgraduate adaptation

From   Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD) Comics These are hilarious!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA. You can *actually* sing to these lyrics - I've tested it out :P