Cheap Buffet Spreads under $15

Amirah's Grill Restaurant & Cafe (Halal)
Where: 14 Bussorah Street, Tel: 9383-1994
Price: $9.90+
Buffet hours: Noon to 4pm daily
Serves: About 30 dishes, including beef casserole, Egyptian-style shepherd's pie, a choice of mushroom or chicken soup and desserts such as creme caramel.

Restoran Tepak Sireh (Halal)
Where: 73 Sultan Gate, Malay Heritage Centre
Tel: 6396-4373/6291-2873 Price: $13.90
Buffet hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30am to 9.30pm
Serves: About 13 dishes, such as beef rendang, laksa, chickpea soup and desserts like bubur cha cha.

Yuki Yaki
Where: 03-210 Marina Square
Tel: 6338-9680
Price: $8.90
Buffet hours: Noon to 5pm on weekdays
Serves: Liquid ice cream that firms up when poured on a freezing pan. The ice cream comes in four flavours, including coffee and vanilla. There is also a choice of 16 toppings ranging from nata de coco to dried fruit.

Orient Ocean
Where: 401 Havelock Road, Hotel Miramar, 3rd floor
Tel: 6736-3677
Price: $10.80+++ on weekdays and $13.80+++ on weekends
Buffet hours:11.30am to 2pm
Serves: A dimsum buffet with 30 items, including favourites such as har kow and siew mai.

Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe
Where: 01-02 North Bridge Commercial Complex
Tel: 6339-7745
Price: $10.80+ on weekdays and $11.80+ on weekends
Buffet hours: 11am to 10pm
Serves: Laksa, mee siam and curry assam fish, with Nonya kueh for dessert.

Quality Cafe
Where: 201 Balestier Road, Quality Hotel
Tel: 6355-9988
Price: Weekdays - $10..80+++ for adults and $6.80+++ for children. Weekends and public holidays - $12.80++ for adults and $9.80+++ for children
Buffet hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm Serves: An Asian rice lunch buffet with items like Hainanese chicken rice, pineapple rice, chilli crab and mutton curry.

Why Finnish School System is Tops -Strait Times

The Straits Times article on May 26,2007

Full Article pasted on Staff Welfare Notice Board (next to Poh Lean's desk)

Interesting article on education system and culture in Finland

"The Finnish education system is one of the best in the world,.... Pisa, the triennial worldwide test of the academic performance of 15-year-olds... In 2003, Finland came top in reading, literacy and science, and second in mathematics and probelm solving. Hong Kong had the next best perforamnce..."

Anybody know where we stand?

"While working in Russia some years ago, I hopped over to Helsinki .... The streets of the capital were lined with bookshops and art galleries and at the cinemas they were showing the great European and American classics, but not the latest blockbuster..."


"As I was sitting in a cafe quietly reading a shorter Solzhenitsyn, a student-type person came in and announced that she was going to read everyone her poetry, since there was a literary festival on the week."

" That Finland is a cultured place was demonstrated to me by the fact that an old gentlemen sitting nearby told her in no uncertain terms that he would rather she inflicted her adolescent gushings on someone else, as she was spoiling his lattee. She retreated hastily and left us all to our novels."

"It is easy to see why the Finns are so clever. They have more lakes than anyone else in the world. The quiet templation of still water is always conducive to thoughts and exercise of reason."

can't agreed more...about the lake :OP

"Finns enjoy nine years of compulsory, comprehensive education at a basic school... They study their mother tongue, the otehr national language, for example, Swedish or Finnish,... Whether the fact that pupils receive free hot school meals throughtout that time is significant or not, is difficult to say."

I remembered Mrs Tan SH shared something about the pupils in taiwan helping to serve their own lunch.. is it also provided by states?

"The Germans have had a similar structure for years, but they are nowhere in the Pisa tables. There must be many social and cultural factors that account for Finland success in teh Pisa competition but one of tehm is undoubtedly the quality of teaching."
"Teaching is a revered profession in Finland and there is no shortage of applicants. All teachers need to have a master's degree and less than half of the applicants are accepted onto teacher training programmes."

School Coach involved in chat scandal

SPOT ON!

Article from http://blogscapes.wordpress.com/

Last week, the Straits Times reported on a sting operation it conducted in Singapore. It had a reporter psoe as a 13 year old girl in chat rooms. Almost immediately, she was hit upon by men who invited her to meet up for sex. Such blatant requests were made even when the men knew she was underaged.
In the end, the reporter agreed to meet up with three of the men, one of whom said he was a basketball coach with a girls’ school! While the picture in the report had the face of the coach made fuzzy, the teachers in the school he coached at kind of recognised him and the principal asked if he was the one in the report. When he ‘confessed’, the school decided to terminate his contract. i thought that was a good move by the school. Imagine, this predator working so closely with young girls!
What this shows is that what happens in the online virtual world can really have true consequences and the reality would catch up easily!
What this amazes me is the sheer number of sexual predators out there who are trawling the cybergrounds for sex! While some of the girls who respond do know what they are doing, quite often, there are gullible ones out there who respond out of curiosity and who actually believe that the men are inviting them home to watch a movie and play games.
Perhaps the anonymity of the Internet has dulled some of the flight/fight instincts, so much so that many young people out there willingly share their personal contacts online for all and sundry to see, and even include very private details of themselves and their families.
While the Internet is a relatively new form of expression and communication, good old fashioned common sense should still prevail, and parents and young people need to be aware of that.
Article from ASIA ONE

You're 13? What's your bust size?
Men prowl Internet chatrooms and lure young girls into meeting them for sex. Cheryl Tan poses as a 13-year-old schoolgirl and gets one indecent proposal after another
May 06, 2007 The Straits Times
WITHIN four minutes of introducing himself in a local Internet relay chatroom meant for teenagers, Aauarius asked to feel my breasts.
Even after knowing that I was a 13-year-old schoolgirl, he asked for my height, weight, waist measurement and size of my 'top'.
Claiming his real name was Eric, 22, he offered to take me shopping and to lunch - both at his expense.
'I treat you everything tomorrow,' he promised.
But I had to let him 'feel feel' me.
Eric was just one of 90 men who messaged me within minutes of entering an Internet chatroom.
Even after I said that I was 13, the lewd offers still came thick and fast.
These men did not seem worried that, under the law, it is illegal to have sex with a girl under the age of 16.
The punishment for statutory rape is severe - the culprit will be jailed at least eight years and given a minimum 12 strokes of the cane.
Despite this, the number of men reported to the police for having sex with underage girls has shot up over the last six years.
Last year, the police received 217 reports of men who had sex with underage girls, almost double the 114 cases in 2001.
Just last month, three men aged between 18 and 23 were in court for having sex with a minor. The girl was only 12.
The laws will be toughened soon to deal with such paedophiles.
Psychiatrist Brian Yeo said men who target young girls do so to 'feel in control'.
He said they get a 'thrill' and consider it a 'conquest' when a young girl gives in to their request.
Psychologist Daniel Koh added that because the young girls are sexually inexperienced, these men think they are 'easier to please'.
But not all girls are that innocent, said Dr Yeo, and some crave the attention these men lavish. 'They find it fun to have men go ga-ga over their photos.'
Even though I did not have a photo to show the men who were chatting me up, many still ended up proposing a secret rendezvous.
Finding out that I was only 13 did not deter 27 men from doing so. Only 10 dropped out of the chat after I said that I was 13.
I could barely keep up with the chat requests and respond to everyone.
Some started slow. They made small talk before moving on to more personal questions such as what underwear I was wearing and whether I had any sexual experience.
Others asked for sex from the word go. One man's opening line was: 'Want sex and quick cash?'
Another guy wanted to know how short my school skirt was. A few asked for my vital statistics.
One man tried to lure me out by saying that a pink bikini and denim skirt would be mine to keep if I went to his home. Some also asked if I had 'petted' before and described in graphic detail what that meant.
One man, Andy, even boasted about his experience with a 15-year-old girl at a hotel. The 26-year-old, claimed to be 'skilful' at sex and promised that I would feel no pain.
Darren, whose pick-up line was to ask if I was keen on earning $1,500, called me 'girl'. He asked for my age, my school, and why I was not in class on a Friday morning.
For that amount of money, all he wanted from me was to 'accompany' him.
Going by the nickname Lucifer, the 27-year-old who claimed to be an advertising manager said he wanted us to 'chill out' together at his home.
He asked to meet me at a playground near the HDB flat he lived in.
He offered to pay for my cab fare to his place, which would have come up to about $20. He said we could have breakfast and watch comedy movies. He gave me his mobile number.
When I got there and called him, he asked me again if I was really 13.
While I waited on a slide, Darren circled the playground several times. He then disappeared behind a block of flats and hid behind a pillar.
My phone rang - it was him. He claimed he did not see me at the playground and asked to meet at the lift lobby instead.
When I faked unfamiliarity with the area, he finally approached me.
Wearing spectacles, a bright red sweater and black bermudas, the first thing he asked me was: 'Are you the girl I chatted with online?'
When I identified myself as a reporter, Darren immediately denied knowing that I was 13.
Even as he tried to inch away from me, he insisted that his motive was purely innocent. He 'really just wanted to watch movies' with me at his flat.
Two hours later, a woman who claimed to be Darren's girlfriend called to say that it had been a case of 'mistaken identity'. She claimed that someone had impersonated Darren and posted his mobile phone number on the Net.
Another online chatter, who arranged to meet me at a playground in Bishan, lied about his age.
Claiming to be 19, Josh wanted to 'cuddle for a bit' in his home. He later changed tack and said he was actually a 28-year-old basketball coach who trained schoolgirls as young as eight.
To entice me to meet him, Josh promised to take me to lunch and shopping at Bishan Junction 8 before going to his home.
Dressed in a white polo T-shirt and Adidas basketball shorts, he was calm when I said I was a reporter.
Lighting up a cigarette, Josh said he wanted only to walk around with me to 'pass the time'. He also claimed that he had set up the meeting to recruit female basketballers.
The third man who coaxed me out promised a massage and the chance to watch movies which I was 'not supposed to watch yet'.
Roger suggested meeting in Hotel 81 to 'get comfortable' and 'take shelter from the afternoon sun'.
He brought along a laptop to play his 'movies'.
Towering over me, the 32-year-old who claimed to be a computer systems engineer said he has met girls of all ages and that it was only 'for fun'.
Roger did not believe I was a reporter.
He continued to call me after we parted, asking if I was available to talk to him.
After all those were ignored, he sent the SMS message: 'Can't chat anymore?'
tcheryl@sph.com.sg

Are you a Singaporean?

There once was a very good old barber in New York. One day a florist goesto him for a haircut. After the cut, he goes to pay the barber and thebarber replies:"I am sorry. I cannot accept money from you. I am doing communityservice."The Florist is happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning when the barbergoes to open his shop, there is a thank you card and a dozen roses waitingat his door.

A policeman goes for a haircut and he also goes to pay the barber afterthe cut. But the barber replies:"I am sorry. I cannot accept money from you. I am doing communityservice."The cop is happy and leaves the shop.

The next morning the barber goes toopen his shop, there is a thank you card and a dozen donuts waiting at hisdoor.A Singaporean software engineer goes for a haircut and he also goes to paythe barber after the cut. But the barber replies:"I am sorry. I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service."

The Singaporean software engineer is happy and leaves. The next morningwhen the barber goes to open his shop, guess what he finds there...Can you guess?Come on, think like a Singaporean....have you got the answer? ...........
come on .............
guess ....

a dozen Singaporeans waiting for a free haircut!

Bossy joke

LESSON 2

A junior manager, a senior manager and their boss are on their way to a meeting. On their way through a park, they come across a wonder lamp.They rub the lamp and a ghost appears. The ghost says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are three,I will allow one wish each"

So the eager senior manager shouted, "I want the first wish. I want to be in the Bahamas, on a fast boat and have no worries."Pfufffff, and he was gone.
Now the junior manager could not keep quiet and shouted "I want to be In Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food and cocktails." Pfufffff, and he Was also gone.
The boss calmly said, "I want these two idiots back in the office after lunch at 12.35pm."

*MORAL OF THE STORY IS: " ALWAYS ALLOW THE BOSSES TO SPEAK FIRST"*

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit sawthe eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?" Theeagle answered: "Sure, why not."So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested.All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sittingvery, very high up

Shitty joke

LESSON 1

There were these 4 guys, a Russian, a German, an American and a French, who found this small genie bottle. When they rubbed the bottle, a genie appeared.

Thankful that the 4 guys had released him out of the bottle, he said, "Next to you all are 4 swimming pools, I will give each of you a wish. When you run towards the pool and jump, you shout what you want the pool of Water to become, then your wish will come true."

The French wanted to start. He ran towards the pool, jumped and shouted "WINE". The pool immediately changed into a pool of wine. The Frenchman was so Happy swimming and drinking from the pool.

Next is the Russian's turn, he did the same and shouted, "VODKA" and Immersed himself into a pool of vodka. The German was next and he jumped and shouted, "BEER". He was so Contented with his beer pool.

The last is the American. He was running towards the pool when suddenly He steps on a banana peel. He slipped towards the pool and shouted, "SHIT!!!!!!!........."

LESSON - THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING, BECAUSE SOMETIMES ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN.*

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to thetop of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.""Well, why don't you nibble on so me of my droppings?" replied the bull."They're packed with nutrients."The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enoughstrength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eatingsome more dung, he reached the second branch.Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top ofthe tree.He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story: BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keepyou there

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the birdfroze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there,a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realizehow warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there allwarm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following thesound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptlydug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story:

(1) Not everyone who sh!ts on you is your enemy

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of sh!t is your friend

(3) And when you're in deep sh!t, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up hershower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a toweland runs downstairs.When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbour. Beforeshe says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you £800 to drop that towel."After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked infront of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her £800 and leaves.The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she getsto the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?""It was Bob the next door neighbour," she replies."Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the £800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to creditand risk with your shareholders in time , you may be in a position toprevent avoidable exposure

Quotes from Anthony Robbins

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

Sunshine of Greenridge Primary - Uncle Jason

Frankly speaking, I can't remember when Uncle Jason joined the school , it's not that long a time I think. But I'm sure he has made an impression to everyone who has met him.

Walking to school and being greeted by Uncle Jason signature warm & friendly smile never fail to cheer me up and start my day with a bright spark.

What made Uncle Jason so special is not just his friendiness and his heart-warming gestures. What inspires me is his very positive outlook in every situation.

I remembered one night when I was the organiser of an event, I met him at the gate and was apologizing him for having to trouble him as there would be quite a crowd for him to handle instead of a peaceful night, instead he thanked me! He replied that he was so glad that there were so many people to keep him company that night. I was truly amazed and realized that Uncle Jason is not just a simple retiree, he is a professional worker and a wise man. And I believe him, I believe he is not joking and he is sincere in his actions & words! Now how often do we come across a man like that , so GRPS staff, you're truly blessed!

FYI, Uncle Jason likes black coffee without sugar i.e. "Kopi kosong" as he has diabetes.

shared by janet

Kid's talk contributed by Vivian

*Some of this kids are pretty smart for their age.*

*HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY? (written by kids)
1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
- Alan, age 10

2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you'restuck with.
- Kristen, age 10

*WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?*
1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
- Camille, age 10
2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married.
- Freddie, age 6 (very wise for his age)

*HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?*
1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same ids.
Derrick, age 8

*WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
1) Both don't want any more kids.
- Lori, age 8

*WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?*

1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to > get > to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you > listen long enough.> - Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
- Martin, age 10 (Who said boys do not have brains)

*WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
Craig, age 9

*WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?*
1) When they're rich.
Pam, age 7 (I could not have said it better myself)
2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
Curt, age 7 (Good Point)
3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
Howard, age 8 (Who made the rule)

*IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
1) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
Anita, age 9 (bless you child)

*HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
1) There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favourite is........

*HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?*

1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
Ricky, age 10 ( The boy already understands )

EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN
ALL ARE WELCOME
OPEN TO MEN ONLY
____________________________________________________________
>>Note: Due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants
The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course including:
_____________________________________________________________
DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
>>Step by step guide with slide presentation>>

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
>>Round table discussion>>

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
>>Practising with hamper (Pictures and graphics)>>

DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE / FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
>>Debate among a panel of experts.>>

LOSS OF VIRILITY
>>Losing the remote control to your significant other - Help line and support groups>>

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
>>Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while shouting "It's not there!", You've moved it!" or 'We've run out!" - Open forum>>

_____________________________________________________________
DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
>>Group discussion and role-play>>

HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
>>PowerPoint presentation>>

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
>>Real life testimonial from the one man who did>>

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
>>Driving simulation>>

LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
>>Online class and role playing>>

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
>>Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques>>

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
>>Bring your calendar or PDA to class>>

GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
>>Individual counsellors available>>

DON'TS when you are sleeping

5 DON'TS when you are sleeping
DON'T SLEEP WITH WATCH
Watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. Though small, but if
you wear your watch to bed for a long time, it might have adverse
effects
on your health.
DON'T SLEEP WITH BRA
Scientists in America have discovered those that wear bras for more than
12
hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. So go to bed without
it.
DON'T SLEEP WITH PHONE
Putting the phone beside your bed or anywhere near you is not
encouraged.
Though some of us will use phones as alarm clocks, but please put the
phone
as far as possible. Scientists have proved that electrical items
including mobile phone and television sets emit magnetic waves when
used.
These waves can cause disruptions to our nervous system. Therefore if
you
need to put your mobile phone near you, switch it off first.
DON'T SLEEP WITH MAKE UP
People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long run.
Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty in
breathing
and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer time to go
into deep sleep.
DON'T SLEEP WITH OTHERS' WIFE / HUSBAND
You may never wake up again.

The Echo of Life

A man and his son were walking in the forest.
Suddenly the boy trips and feeling a sharp pain he screams, “Ahhhh!”
Surprised, he hears a voice coming from the mountain, “Ahhhh!”
Filled with curiosity, he screams: “Who are you?”, but the only answer he receives is: “Who are you?”
This makes him angry, so he screams: “You are a coward!”, and the voice answers: “You are a coward!”

He looks at his father, asking, “Dad, what is going on?”
“Son,” the man replies, “Pay attention!”
Then he screams, “I admire you!”
The voice answers: “I admire you!”
The father shouts, “You are wonderful!”, and the voice answers: “You are wonderful!”
Then the father explains, “People call this ‘ECHO’, but truly it is ‘LIFE’!
Life always gives you back what you give out.
Life is a mirror of your actions.


If you want more love, give more love!
If you want more kindness, give more kindness!
If you want understanding and respect, give understanding and respect!
If you want people to be patient and respectful to you, give patience and respect!
This rule of nature applies to every aspect of our lives.”
Life always gives you back what you give out.
Your life is not a coincidence, but a mirror of your own doings.

Author: UNKNOWN

My Creed

To learn how to live for today.
To understand that I should accept the things beyond my control, and not take everything so seriously.
To hold on to courage and hope, and not let doubt discourage me from doing anything I aspire to do.
To remember that the world needs sunshine of as many smiles as it can get --- and to do my part.
To build bridges instead of walls.
To see the best in others; to acknowledge their inner beauty with my outer appreciation.
To remember that without friends and loved ones, my world would be nothing; to be thankful that with them, it is everything.
To realize that there is an entire lifetime ahead of me, but precious little time to be wasted.
To work for my goals, and know that they can be achieved; and to reach for dreams with ability, determination and belief.
And finally to know, in the end, that life will be good to me...if I can do my best to be good to life.

- Laine Parsons-

Teddy Stoddard

Hi all,

I believed many of us have heard of this story before, but it never fails to touch my heart again and again. Enjoy the story.
http://www.teachermovie.com/

Seetoh

You have two choices

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood.
When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply,

"If I were any better, I would be twins!"
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs,
so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant .
Why ?
BecauseJerry was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day,
Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him
"I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.


I always choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life."
"But it's not always that easy," I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said.
"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
It's your choice how you live your life."
Several years later,
I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business.
He left the back door of his restaurant open
And then ???

In the morning,
he was robbed by three armed men.

They want?

While Jerry trying to open the safe box,
his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery
and
weeks of intensive care,
Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.…
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was,
he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied.
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared"
I asked?
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine.

But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.'
I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything."
'Yes,' I replied.
The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath

and yelled, 'Bullets!'
Over their laughter, I told them,

'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'.

"Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that
every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours -- that no one can control or take from you-
is your attitude,
so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere" - anonymous

"The least expensive education is to profit from the mistakes of ourselves and others." (Anonymous)

"Upon our children - how they are taught - rests the fate - or fortune - of tomorrow's world". - B.C. Forbes

The goal of education is to replace an empty mind with an open mind". - Malcolm Forbes

"I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers." (Kahlil Gibran)

"A gifted teacher is as rare as a gifted doctor, and makes far less money" (Anonymous)

" It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question" (Eugene Ionesco Decouvertes)

"A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary" (Thomas Carruthers)

How to tell if you are a real teacher?

Real teachers grade papers in the car, during commercials, in faculty meetings and in the bathroom.

Real teachers cheer when they hear April 1 does not fall on a school day.

Real teachers clutch a pencil while thinking and make notes in the margins of books.

Real teachers can't walk past a crowd of kids without straightening up the line.

Real teachers never sit down without first checking the seat of the chair.

Real teachers have disjointed necks from writing on boards without turning their backs on the class.

Real teachers are written up in medical journals for the size and elasticity of kidneys and bladders.

Real teachers have been timed gulping down a full lunch in 2 minutes, 18 seconds.

Master teachers can eat faster than that.

Real teachers can predict exactly which parents will show up at Open House.

Real teachers volunteer for hall duty on days faculty meetings are scheduled.

Real teachers never teach the conjugations of lie and lay to eighth graders.

Real teachers know it is better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.Real teachers know the best end of semester lesson plans can come from Blockbuster.

Real teachers never take grades after Wednesday of the last week of the six weeks.Real teachers never assign research papers on the last six weeks or essays on final exams.

Real teachers know the shortest distance and the length of travel time from their classroom to the office.Read teachers can "sense" gum.

Real teachers know the difference among what must be graded, what ought to be graded, and what probably should never again see the light of day.

Real teachers are solely responsible for the destruction of the rain forest.

Real teachers have their best conferences in the parking lot.

Real teachers have never heard an original excuse.

Real teachers buy Excedrin and Advil at Sam's.

Real teachers will eat anything that is put in the workroom/teacher's lounge.

Real teachers have the assistant principals' and counselors' home phone numbers.

Real teachers know secretaries and custodians run the school.Real teachers know the rules don't really apply to them.

Real teachers hear the heartbeats of crisis; always have time to listen; know they teach students, not subjects; and they are absolutely non-expendable.

I like myself now

I Like Myself Now by a teacher quoted by Everett Shostrom

I had a great feeling of relief when I began to understand that a youngster needs more than just subject matter. I know mathematics well, and I teach it well. I used to think that was all I needed to do. Now I teach children, not math. I accept the fact that I can only succeed partially with some of them. When I don't have to know all the answers, I seem to have more answers than when I tried to be the expert. The youngster who really made me understand this was Eddie. I asked him one day why he thought he was doing so much better than last year. He gave meaning to my whole new orientation. "It's because I like myself now when I'm with you," he said.

By A teacher quoted by Everett Shostromin Man, The Manipulatorfrom Chicken Soup for the SoulCopyright 1993 by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen
Extracted from "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Home Delivery" email series (More inspirational stories can be found in the Chicken Soup site.)

If

If your plan is for one year, plant rice;
if your plan is for 10 years, plant trees;

if your plan is for 100 years, educate children.

Confucius