Gong Xi Fa Cai

Bright crimson glistens upon the night
As the loud crashes of celebration
Ushers fireworks and deafening roars
Of families long since gathered
Reunited, to greet its coming in a single, varied voices
Bright crimson made brighter by the dawn
Of another year, another zodiac, of prosperity
Wealth, health and good tidings

A Happy Lunar New Year to all my Chinese friends.
May fortune favor you in your efforts.

A thousand miles and longer still..........

Long has it been since my fingers scampered across this keyboard to give birth to a post here. Not for lack of time or inspiration or even words but more a lingering sense of 'its not yet time to write about all this'. Sometimes we, including myself, react to situations too fast. Penning down our immediate thoughts and feelings without actually considering what all these mean to us in the first place. This is neither right nor wrong, it's just that for once (and maybe even a few times more), I would like to give life a chance to play itself out a little more before I actually decide on what I think or feel about it. And so, without further ado (or much to do), here goes...........

Much has happened since and much more that did not, though I'd be dumbfounded if I were asked to gauge the difference. Work had been interesting as always and as always, not proceeding as how I expected. Then again what, ever does? Engaging is the only word my mind could fathom in describing the task thus far. Fatigue inducing though it has been, there is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes with it. And though I know I have not stepped up to the plate in most instances, I can take heart in the times when I had. If anything, the future beckons more from me in this respect, especially since I might (and most probably will) be assigned to the more challenging of my charges

Spent a lot of my time playing Football Manager 2007. Its a distraction that I sorely needed from this thing called life. The only bad part of playing this game is that it can sometimes (most times) turn into an obsession. I prefer taking unknown teams from the lower rungs of the English football leagues. In previous incarnations of this game, it had been Rochdale, Margate and Gravesend & Northfleet. This time round though, I chose amateur Conference North club Blyth Spartans. More for the name than anything else. I mean, come on - Spartans, them's fightin' words, heh. And if anyone out there knows anything about this club, other than it residing in and around Hartlepool, give me a buzz. The main reason why I pick such teams, is for the challenge of bringing a unknown team up and also for the chance of getting famous old fogeys to play for my club. Already I've gotten Iwan Roberts, Vinny Samways, Paul Warhurst and Duncan Ferguson playing for me. And we're sitting well above the relegation battle at the start of the season in League Two - from Conference North in just 2 seasons (coming into 3 now). Not to mention we also won the English FA Trophy last season. I'll probably post a picture of the squad and stuff here at the end of this current season.

Though I have much more to say here, the time just doesn't feel right for me to say it. And so, I'd like to leave with you with one of, if not, the most beautiful pieces of guitar work I have ever heard. Enjoy. Till next time and hopefully it'll be soon.

Andy McKee playing Gates To Numeria

Dazed

Through frosted glass
The light refracted, scattered
Leaving whites upon many whites
Repetition of the same
Made different by the similar

Enchanted

By the fractured nothing
The dull resonating emptiness
Filling, overspreading, consuming
Without path to tread, an end to reach
A still inertia, laying dormant

Numb

Of stalled mind, halting heart
Purpose lost, long left
A dwindling, a rotting
The eye of focus, traded
For hypnotic oblivion

Comatose

From action, voluntary inaction
Vacant eyes, staring blind
The comforting cold of flaccidity
The lucid calls of placidity
An existence without existing

One of those days.......

It was an off day for me today. Are we allowed to have those, us teachers, Special Ed or otherwise - off days? It is all about taking the right action at the right time. I do that, sometimes, most times but not today. There was a situation and I didn't handle it, for whatever reason I had at that point in time. And boy do I feel crappy about it. I guess there's nothing much I can do about what has happened. Learn from it and make it count the next time around.

For now, I need myself a pick-me-up............

And so,

Presenting, three of the very best son-of-a-bitches to have ever shredded on steel-stringed accoustic guitars:-



(From left) Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin & Paco De Lucia playing Splendido Sundance.

A is for Autism, A is for Aspire, A is for Attempt, A is for Achieve

Rain Man.

Remember that movie? I know its old, bordering on ancient but its the only one that comes to mind on what I want to write about here. And if you are still lost, it's that movie where Dustin Hoffman plays a middle aged autistic man. He even got an Oscar for it too, if I remember correctly. Click on this whole sentence to get more information about the movie. Anyway, never in my life did I ever fathom that I'd be able to meet a character similar to how Raymond Babbit was. That's right. An autistic savant, in this case a 9 year old boy with the insane ability to do 4 digit by 4 digit multiplications in a second and getting the answer right each time, without the use of any assisting devices. Takes me about four seconds at least to key in the values and get an answer on my calculator. And he isn't the only one with such an astounding ability. If it weren't for his behavioral modulation and sensory needs, he would have probably been included in one of our local education system's many gifted programs. The same would go for those who are exceptionally talented in art, writing or acting. Would they even be able to get jobs after their educational years pass?

And though it was said that we are to be an inclusive society, with no Singaporean left behind. The fact remains that we, the society as a whole, are still ages behind most other nations in terms of implementing socially beneficial policies. Especially those with little to no financial benefit.

There is no doubt that the way we treat people with special needs nowadays is significantly improved as to how we would have a decade ago. And with all the effort that is being placed, sufficient or otherwise, I am sure that in time, most of the needs of this section of the community will be met. How much time? I guess that depends a lot on how seriously policies on this matter is implemented and how much effort is being made to educate the general public as a whole on the issue at hand.

At very least that I can say right now, is that we are trying.