An Invitation
"Ahh...here! Here!" Flan looked up and saw a beautifully dressed young lady wave. "The mom! This way." Flan pulled D's hand hard, as they weaved their way out of everyone's feet.
Ten minutes later, they were seated in the plush red seats and waiting in anticipation for the performance to begin.
"Have you eat?" Alice's mom asked. She was radiant. Her eyes dancing in excitement. Her attempts at conversing in a language so foreign to her is highly commendable. Flan was equally excited. The kids are performing tonight and she can't wait. She hadn't mean to drag D along, and so, she was really glad that he had agreed to come readily.
"Welcome to..." Flan was too distracted by the hungry growls from her stomach (and D's) to pay much attention to the speech.
Finally the kids appeared. For a nano-second, she thought she saw them. The children were all clustered in the center, too shy to spread out. Throughout the entire song, both mom and Flan craned their necks to try to spot the children. It was a futile effort.
The rest of the performance by other students, were amusing and very entertaining. More than once, D and Flan were doubled-up with laughter. So much so that they have forgotten about their hunger.
At the end of it all, they gathered outside of the concert hall, awaiting the appearance of the children. "Ahh, there they are! Hey you guys, that was a fantastic job!" Flan grinned at the two bright-eyed kids, who were hugging three big balloons each. "Alamak!" cried 'Sarah' as his balloon floated out of his grasp. "OK, I did not teach him that! Come here...who is this? Say hello..." Flan twisted him round so that he was facing D. "Your husband," he said shyly. "My balloon! Alamak!" As he reached out to catch the fat balloon, all the rest fell to the floor...
"Told you they are cute, hee hee," Flan laughed.
Uclers are signs
Flan buried her face into the pillow and quilt. It's at least 30 degrees but she didn't care. Today was a horrible day and she was "sweating it out" in bed. There were at least a million ulcers in her mouth. Yes, a million!
The vitamin C pills her student's mom gave her isn't working. She'd rather have ulcers than pimples though.
"What's wrong with you?" D asked.
"Don't ask. Today is a HORRIBLE day. Sucky, sucky day. I am depressed." Flan wailed into her pillow. Mr Brown tapped his white paw on her shoulder; he mistook a mole for a fly.
"You haven't been drinking enough water, right?" D said matter-of-factly. "Well, at least the pimples are gone..."
Wow, he can read my mind! Flan continued to bury her face in the pillow. She told herself that tomorrow would be a better day. What's the point in drinking more water? It's not going to make the ulcers go away. Deep inside her, Flan knows what those signs are - they are warning signs that she hasn't been....doing enough.
It only happens once
It was odd seeing a good friend get married. Flan was moved to tears as the ballad reached it's climax, and the groom lifted the veil to kiss the bride. Absolutely beautiful: the choreography, the music, the editing, the 'characters'...couldn't be more perfect. Everyone clapped. Flan held back her tears, as she did not want her makeup to be ruined...
D held her hand tightly. He seemed engrossed in the performance. Another friend beside her, whispered, "I am uncomfortable." Yeah, the grandeur of it all is making her a tad uneasy too. It doesn't help too, that she doesn't know the rest of the people at the table.
As the night wore on, everyone relaxed a little. The food was absolutely fabulous. The music was great. It was a beautiful party.
"Sigh, if only..." Without having to finish the sentence, D knew exactly what she wanted to say.
He replied, "Too bad. It only happens once."
why money matters (not)
Flan tapped her beautifully manicured fingers on her laptop keypad. Beside her, D's eyes were glued to the football match in front of him. Flan cast a sideway glance at D, silently admiring his dark profile, and snickered wickedly when he let out a frustrated sigh. She typed, "
Ha ha, silly boy is supporting his silly team again. And yes, they have just lost a golden opportunity to score, as always...what is new?...."
Flan stared at the paragraph that she had just typed. Uncertain about how her story should continue, she deleted the whole chunk, and started again,
"
Ok, today, I am going to talk about 'Money'."
"Shhh.... can you turn down the volume? I need to concentrate on my story," Flan said. She furrowed her brows, and typed,
"
Where was I? Yes, money! Somehow, bosses and companies tend to want to re-structure the organization and pay system the moment I leave! Company A promoted two colleagues and expanded the team. Clearly, the fact that there isn't much work, and that the decision-maker was making subtle threats to downsize the team vanished the moment I decide to leave. Interestingly, the same decision-maker had also dropped me an sms to make sure that I knew about this promotion and expansion. Right, his point? Company B hit the rocks the moment I joined. And when I left? Same deal - bonuses, promotions, big fat never-before increments...."Flan paused, distracted for a moment. In a span of ten minutes, the opposing team had scored two goals. The layer of gloom that had descended the living room was so thick, Flan thought it was wiser not to comment.
Flan contemplated her work, "Now, how am I going to end this...hmm, what is my point...I don't know... Why money matters?! Oh, oh I remember now." She continued, typing furiously before she lost the thought again,
"
Don't they get it? It's not about the money! Look, the colleague who got promoted in Company A had never felt more stressed-out or unhappy in her life. And look, people are still trying their utmost to find better working environments despite the 'big, fat never-before increments'...SO, it's not about the money."At least not all the time, Flan thought aloud. But she didn't type that in, because she had a point to make, and she intended to make it.
Paid to learn
In half stupor, Flan walked along the dirt tracks towards her home. It's 9 pm and she was quite exhausted. Unlike the type she used to experience, where she felt literally drained of all her energy because she was strapped down on her chair the whole day, this one felt like she went for a workout! The books in her bags could most certainly double-up as dumb-bells if she wanted them to.
It's worth it! Flan comforted herself. See how J's mom was so grateful, that she thanked her, not once, but twice, for borrowing books for her child. And check out J's face: he eyes lit up at the sight of "Madagascar". Yes, it was definitely worth it.
Although she doesn't quite understand why the current syllabus is constructed the way they are these days, she could hardly complain. Afterall, she herself had learned so much:
1) A "sparr" is the young of a salmon...
2) Mount Olympus is where Zeus stays...
3) Alpha is a greek alphabet...
4) Wayside school is absurd but hilarious...
5) Harry won't die (potter I mean)...
6) "Jewelry" is the American spelling while "Jewellery" is the British's...
7) A Tabby-cat is the FEMALE cat while a Tom-cat is the MALE (oops, Mr Brown, I wouldn't have called you Tabby had known it's significance....)...
8) "Your" can be an adjective too!
9) A ten-year-old reveals her desire to be an artist and launches into a passionate speech about how Picasso models a nose so that it can be seen in all angles because he thinks that a nose is "beautiful" (What have they been teaching us in school?!)
Lastly:
10) Phrasal verbs are the hardest things to teach...
and that's just
today.
A Natural High
"Yup so adjectives go with nouns, and adverbs go with verbs...see it's really easy," gushed Flan, her voice going hoarse, her hands reaching for the cool glass of perrier in reflex.
"...determiners go with nouns....so take a simple phrase like 'a natural high', identify the different forms for me," Flan smiled encouragingly.
Silence.
"...ok, so where is the noun? First you find the noun, it's....."high", right? Very good!" (even though the boy hasn't uttered a word)
"Now that you have found the noun, the rest should be easy. What is 'natural'?"
"Adjective!" exclaimed Bryan.
"and 'a'?" Flan continued relentlessly.
"Determiner!" Bryan replied fervently.
"Yes! You are so smart. See, it's really easy. All you have to do is identify the noun, right? Ok, what's wrong, you look confused...tell me..."
"er.... what is this meaning? High? Tall? 'High' is adjective..."
Flan grinned. Welcome to the world of English.
why experience matters
"Oh look at him...
chantik! Ahhhh...." Mr Brown stared grouchily at the woman making all kinds of "oo-ing" sounds with nothing more than bored interest.
Flan grinned because it was funny. The plump Malay woman, who had with her a stray kitten she had picked up from the street for its first vaccination, clearly could not get enough of Mr Brown.
If anything, it was love at first sight. She has been all bent over, her face mere inches from the rattan carrier, and making gurgling "baby talk". Now, she is clapping her hands, as if all ready to pick up the baby...
Mr Brown curled himself up even tighter.
Moments later, it was Mr Brown's turn. "Oops, we forgot to weigh him," Flan greeted the resident vet, so familiar are they with the vet that they have dispensed with the formalities. In fact, the vet seemed a trifle brusque today. Must be because Mr Brown is seeing her again because she has
failed to cure him previously? Now, Flan was very careful not to impose such an implication as this, speaking very carefully, "Yeah, it's his tail. Could be the same thing. Or not. The brown scabs never quite disappeared though... The tail's thinning out, so we figured we better bring him in again."
"Oh. Hmmm. Very weird. Let's check," the vet's brow furrowed. And it remained that way for the rest of the consultation. They've heard it before - could be fungal infection, a return (!), would need to conduct a fungal culture (again!)...
"Sure...Yup. No problem..." Flan replied, all but suppressing a groan.
She wanted to shout - it's not funny! She looked up at D, and gave him a "look": you know what that means right? That means 42 days of pill-feeding! That means 84 pills to cut up (into
quarters), 84 x 4 quarters to smear with butter and 84 x 4 quarters to stuff into nail-size cat treats...that's right, 42 days of nightmare.
D saw the look, got the message, and grinned. He was speechless. They paid the bill; the vet will call in ten days' time with the results. If it's really positive, if it's really fungus again, at least they have experienced it before, and they can always console themselves that the second time is always easier.
Flan thought it's a pity the Malay woman has left, she might have liked a
present...
Winners never 'quit'
Flan stared at the statement for a while.
She couldn't help but nod her head in agreement. It is fascinating to see how that one phrase - 3 words - can be applied to so many people and in so many different ways. Words so easy to say, but not that easy to put into action. But then again, how hard is it to breathe (translation: stay alive) and to dream (translation: live the way you want)? She laughed at the irony of her own situation, where she had to literally
quit in order
not to give up (or in other words, quit) on herself and her dreams. Flan likes to think of herself as a fighter - an energizer battery that goes "Never say die"...even when there ain't any energy left. "Belief" is such a strong and powerful word - and so dangerous. It can
make you or
ruin you.
On this topic, Flan is reminded of the very first talk she attended about the Singapore Biennale where the chief curator had informed everyone that the theme for this exhibition was "belief". The artworks were supposed to reflect the artist's view of the word "belief" and what that word means to him or her. Flan hadn't paid much attention to the enormity of the word until she had to translate it to a group of elderly people some days later...
"Oh..erm, O'Hara, could you please explain what do you mean by 'belief'...Do you mean religious beliefs? Or personal..."Flan's voice faltered, not sure how to phrase the question anymore. She frowned at the question - "What is your belief?", as she waited for the 1.8-metre tall Japanese artist to enlighten her.
"Yes yes, it can be what your belief is, and what you believe in..." He replied, struggling to string the words together.
"Ahh...ok." Flan hoped she sounded reassured, because she hadn't a clue what it meant nor did she know how she could translate that term or idea into Cantonese. She tried answering the question herself, and boy was it tough. In what context?!
The old lady sitting in front of her was 87 years old. Yes, she believed that money is important. Yes, she believed in Guan Yin. She also believed that she is happy because she has food, she has friends, and she has a roof to stay under. No, no other beliefs.
Somehow, Flan thinks that it's her fault that the old lady didn't seem to have anymore beliefs. Perhaps if she had rephrased her question, gave some more examples, the lady would
get it.
Or maybe, when you are 87, the word, "belief", becomes just...a word.
Loving every single moment of it
"Happy Teacher's Day!" cried 'Sarah' and Alice when Flan stepped into sight.
"Oh, wow...Oh my!" gushed Flan, all pink in delight, as she took in the scene - 'Sarah' and Alice were balancing a beautifully wrapped box on their palms, as if it was a birthday cake. Beneath the present was a white envelope. "Wow, and it comes with a card too! Thank you....you guys are sooo sweeeeet!" Flan blushed prettily. So taken aback by this pleasant surprise that she didn't know what else to say.
At the end of the lesson, Flan was still in a kind of a stupor. She was quite stunned by the sweet gesture and even more so to discover the "thought-that-counts" to be a very beautiful and exquisite handcrafted jewellery box that is embellished with
real mother-of-pearl! And the card they wrote was just so sweet. Flan laughed to herself as she read what 'Sarah' had written - ..."Thank you for teaching me
an English. Although it is a little bit hard, I like it..." Flan felt gratified to see the paragraph of well wishes - her efforts have paid off. Seeing them translate their thoughts into proper English sentences was the best gift they could ever give her.
