dear Marie gave me the Excellent Blog Award. i thank her for this special gift and for believing in my work here.
when i looked at the folks around me, i realised that there are many excellent bloggers with first rate blogs. many of them would have received such an accolade before my votes. hence, i will present this award to the following folks whose prominence might be a little understated:
1. charlieboy
2. han
3. raeofsunshine
4. pj
5. rachel
Vesper thinks i have been friendly enough for her to give me this “Colours of Friendship” award. i thank her sincerely, and hope she will continue to support me here in my blog. finding friends in the blogosphere is easy, but being friends is hard. and i am learning how to be friends here.
Vanilla, about the best encourager in the blogosphere, was at her best encouraging mood again. this time, she gave me the “MWAH!” award. here’s what she wrote:
The purpose of this award is motivated by:
the desire to hand some of that love and kindness back around to those who have been so very, very, very good to me in this bloggy world. My hope is that those who receive this award will pass it on to those who have been very, very, very good to them as well. It’s a big kiss, of the chaste platonic kind, from me to you with the underlying ‘thanks’ message implied. I really do appreciate your support and your friendship and yes, your comments. … Mwah!
i must be doing something right……
sweet, sweet Vesper believes that my words here are powerful enough for her to give me the award “Roar For Powerful Words” which was initiated by Seamus who also started The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. this is a recognition that tells me that i must be doing something right with my blog here. for this, i sincerely thank Vesper for such a recognition. 🙂
before i give this award to another five bloggers, i have to think of three things that are necessary to make writing good and powerful. here they are:
1. the ability to hook – there are writers who are capable of using the right words and arranging them in the right order in the right structure to generate in readers an addiction.
2. imagery skill – there are those who are so good at creating images with words that it makes you wonder if they already knew how to write when they were still in their mothers’ wombs.
3. the ‘wow’ factor – then there are people who, through their words and stories, just simply ‘wow’ you. it’s like the moment you start reading, you ‘wow’. halfway through your reading, you ‘wow’. at the end of the reading, you ‘wow’. as you think about what you have read, you just ‘wow’, ‘wow’ and ‘wow’.
now, may i present the Roar For Powerful Words award to the following folks, not in order of merit:
* Charlieboy
* Suzan Abrams
* Jason Evans
* Jamaican Dawta
* Gautami Tripathy
congratulations, friends! you can collect your awards here.
Lovely Vanilla awarded me the Sweet Award. My pupils will never believe this if I were to tell them about it; not when they see my stern face more often than they drink coke. I’m actually sweet! I want to thank Vanilla a thousand times for making my day.
It’s difficult to give out this award, ‘cos there are many friends I have here in the blogosphere who are sweet. Can I take the easy way out? The fact that you spend time here reading my blog makes you sweet. So take the badge and put it up on your blog, ‘cos you are just……sweet!
Dear nice Miss Verilion over at nice Paris has nicely given me a very nice award – the “Nice Matters” award.
I don’t doubt the fact that some nice people around me are nice to me; Miss Verilion being one. But I was nicely taken aback when I saw my nice name being nicely mentioned for one nice reason – being a nice guy who is “just always so nice”. Some of you might nicely think that this is not nicely important. But to me, it is a nice huge encouragement and a nice pat on the back. I never consider myself nice for I nicely know that I can be short-tempered and impatient; two traits I don’t consider nice. So, nicely put, I thank you, Miss Verilion!
It would be a nice disgrace to the nice award if I don’t pass on this award to some nice people around. I would gladly hand this nice award back to Miss Verilion if she hadn’t received it from someone, for she has always been nice to me here.
First up, Miss Vanilla, someone whose positive feedback and constant encouragement never fail to inspire me.
Then, I have Miss Vesper whose niceness can be beyond description at times. And the fact that she is a nice mother makes her extra nice.
Mr Jason Evans is a gentleman who deserves this award. He has been nice enough to hold writing competitions for writers from all walks of life. He has been nice enough to dish out awards and prizes to writers from all walks of life. He has been nice enough to encourage budding writers like me.
I also have two local lads in mind. Mr Louis Loo, my ex-student, has come of age as a young man. He has been a nice pal who was nice enough to spend his time with me and my little one the other evening. And he’s a Liverpool fan too. That is nice.
Miss Joyce Yap whom I met just recently is a young aspiring nice musician who is nice in her own way. Being nicely forthright, nicely honest without inhibition and nicely friendly, she so nicely deserves this award.
Ok, time out for a nice while.
wireless tech – the way to go in our world and future.
peace – Singapore has been having it for quite some time now. not taking it for granted, i hope this will continue for years to come. and i hope this can be extended to the rest of the world.
prosperity – Singapore has prospered since her beginning. not taking it for granted, i hope this will continue for years to come.
my physical fitness – i may not run like a hound or lift tons of weight, but at least i could still clear my annual physical fitness test with relative ease.
my army days – when i was in it, i cursed and swore regularly. now that i’m out of it, i can’t imagine what kind of a man i would be without it.
my N.I.E. days – i kind of sailed through the studies. so, pretty forgettable. it was the activities i went through with my friends that have lasting impression. tennis, discos, playing in the band, camping, movies, coffee hangout, cycling, etc.
opportunities at work – these opportunities reaffirmed me that i’m doing well at work.
pupils in school – they are the reason to my profession.
colleagues – there is no ‘i’ in the word ‘team’.
good health – i’m not fit like a bull, but at least i could still stand and sit and do almost anything i wish to do.
financial situation – i’m not rich at all, but at least i can still support my family and enjoy life.
mental ability – i’m not enstein, but at least i can still educate children, write sensibly and do things that require some basic intelligence.
and i’m not taking the above-mentioned for granted.
the air-conditioner – Mr Lee Kuan Yew said it was the greatest invention of mankind. can’t disagree with him.
the stapler – one of the most useful inventions in modern history.
the can opener – a very powerful invention for the kitchen.
Mathematics – used to be my weakest link, but it turned out to be a personal strength, and it had forced me to think intelligently.
Literature – used to be the most hated subject, but it turned out to be my love, all thanks to folks like Shakespeare, Golding, Orwell, etc.
English – used to be an average subject, but it turned out to be my passion and profession.
my eyes – arguably the most important sense organ.
plants – arguably the most important elements in our ecosystem.
Earth – arguably the most important planet in the solar system.
television – evil to many, but window to much knowledge for me.
my ears – hear ye, hear ye, for thou hast much to say.
toys – what is childhood without them?
telecommunications – hey, hands up all those who disagree.
remote controls – such pampering…
wordpress – for giving me this chance to continue blogging.
friends – for obvious reasons, i should mention ‘friends’. thank you my friends! 🙂
shakespeare – for giving me reasons to study ‘Macbeth’ at ‘O’ levels.
my washing machine – for allowing me to become more lazy.
my samsung i600 – my first pda phone. a very capable device that meets my work needs
the fan – my body feels warm easily. without the fan, i wouldn’t survive in Singapore very well.
the internet – need i explain this?
microphone – for making my life and voice healthier despite the constant classroom teaching.
Canterbury – how can i forget this lovely coastal town i visited back in 2000?
my soul – He sowed it and allowed it to grow in mind, spirit, body and strength.
doctors – without them, i would have died many times.
my mother – for being the only pillar of strength that can ride through anything all these years.
my digital camera – the Fujifilm Z5 has been a very capable compact cam for an amateur like me.
my tag heuer watch – a birthday gift from Jennifer and my only ‘masculine’ watch.
the dictionary – without it, i’ll probably be half who i am now. this relationship started all the way back in 1989.
my fingers – they have been serving me faithfully since my birth. i don’t think i can ever thank them enough.
Liverpool – will always be my number 1 football club in the world. yes, they might have broken my heart in recent years, but there have been more to cheer about in their entire history.
the ability to dream – without it, i wouldn’t have played for Liverpool down the left flank; i wouldn’t have earned my first million dollars in five years; i wouldn’t have seen my book topping the charts; i wouldn’t have made music that revolutionised the world; etc.
Fiji – my little miniature Maltese who has always been faithful.
Faith’s art piece – she taught me a few things here: anything is possible; creativity knows no limit or boundary; colours make the world beautiful in different ways.
Football Manager – i’m not a gamer. but i do play one PC game – Football Manager (formerly known as Championship Manager). non-football fans will never understand how much i have learned from playing this game since 1997.
Ford Focus – my current family ride. safe handling and a relatively smoother ride than most japanese makes. 8 out of 10.
whoever invented fireworks – for allowing my daughter to enjoy every firework display she had watched so far. one at disneyland and twice at National Day parade.
band of brothers – one of the best war dramas i’ve ever seen on screen.
football – about the most beautiful team sports in the world (though some would disagree).
my laptop – my toshiba A200 has been pretty fantastic. everything i need in a laptop, it has it. for less than 2K, it’s well worth the money.
my hair – short, easy to maintain, and it doesn’t look dated.
1927 – the aussie band back in the 80s. they produced songs like ‘if i could’, ‘that’s when i think of you’, ‘compulsory hero’, etc. i was a huge fan then.
music – for speaking to me in many different ways…for inspiring me in almost everything i do…for living within me that i might express myself.
my profession – as a teacher, i have seen myself developing in the areas of public-speaking, self-esteem, leadership, people management, teaching of English and Mathematics, etc. ’nuff said.
the chair – the one i bought from ikea. office-style swivel armchair with comfortable leather beneath. lots of words were generated ‘cos of the coziness from sitting on it.
Miss James – my entry that garnered an honourable mention at Clarity of Night. i enjoyed writing this piece a lot because i wrote it with a pretty light spirit and it took me a very short time to complete it. i kinda like my protagonist here. she had a sad life, yet she took everything rather positively. i hope i can learn from her myself.
the blogosphere – the people around and the opportunities to write have made me a happier person, i dare say. i find life more meaningful in this unique world too.
time – time is so abstract that no one can ever keep it long enough. but i believe that if i can use it well, it will give me chances to make my life more fruitful.
two more months and i’ll be blogging for a year. have always wanted to do something meaningful to mark my first blogging anniversary. after much thinking in my head, i finally decide to do something. you see, it’s in our human nature to be quick at seeing the negative side of life and thus, making ourselves unhappy by complaining. i’m pretty much guilty here. hence, i want to make that part of my life disappear gradually. i want to learn to be thankful for the big and little things of my life. i want a grateful soul within my puny body. i want to……
from today, i shall share my 3 Blessings even an Arse would be Thankful for each day. and i hope i can spread this ‘being thankful’ spirit around.
3 B.A.T. I:
Jennifer – for being the one and only who has to put up with my s***** temper every now and then. her patience and great support have made me a better man. she’s one very strong life partner.
Faith – for being a lovable and thoughtful daughter who almost always make me feel wonderful to be a father. she’s arguably the smartest two-year-old in the whole world right now.
Singapore – how can i forget my own nation…esp. with our National Day just days away? peace, prosperity, progress……what more can i ask?
folks, if you believe in what i’m doing here, go on, spread the word. find your 3 Blessings even an Arse would be Thankful for each day. And perhaps, you can share them with me too.
i’m so happy! Vanilla, whose blog is a must-read in the blogosphere, has given me an award:
i really can’t thank her enough for it. she has just affirmed me that i must be doing something right here.
and now, it is my honour to present this same award to the following good folks:
Suzan (for her continuous support and encouragement)
Vesper (for her kind words that never fail to lift my spirits)
Seamus (for fathering the shameless circle)
Jason (for ensuring that all comments are positively constructive)
Witnessing Am I (for his lovely writes and kind comments)
the orginal idea of such awards came from here. read about it and perhaps you can start giving out these awards to encourage other bloggers.
I was spending another short but great evening with my daughter. Just the two of us. As I watched her draw, sing, dance and bounce; as I showered her, cuddled her and dressed her up, I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of gratitude. What have I done to deserve this little girl? Despite the rebel in me and my foolhardy deeds, this beautiful soul in front of me is here to make me proud. I don’t deserve her. But she’s here to teach me precious lessons. Probably her greatest lesson for me is taught through her name – Faith.
canterbury soul
doors left open (defunct) 