What does it mean to be Louised? March 15, 2009
Posted by esthertanc in Articles without Pics.14 comments
March 15th, 2009
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There is a family in church whose name is Louis. They are pretty famous for doing things in an extremely impromptu fashion. Extremely. Impromptu. Like, the time when Daddy Louis suddenly said that he would like to catch the plane the next day to London where he was thinking of spending a few weeks of holiday. And asked if some members of his family like join to him. (Bear in mind that the plane tickets had not been booked and the few weeks of needed accommodation had not even been thought of). Or like the time the whole family, in a rare moment of idleness on a Christmas afternoon, decided to book flights to Penang Island in the evening to spend the rest of the holidays there. Or the time when Eldest Sis Louise msn’ed to say that she suddenly wants to visit the Aspirers at their campsite, and asked me for directions to the site, i.e., about 4 kms into the jungles of M’cca in the middle of nowhere – and she would like to drive off to this totally unknown territory in another state in, say, 5 minutes. And yes, by herself, of course.
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Thus, the Louises are renown for their spontaneity in decision making – the exciting, exhilarating, on-the-spot kind. No big plan is worth its weight if it was not thought of in the spur of the moment and executed in the flurry of the next 5 minutes.
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So famous are they in making quick, blow-your-mind immediate plans that a few of us have decided to make Louis into a verb. And an adverb. And an adjective.
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So, here’s the word for the day if you are following the Build-Your-Vocabulary program: Loius.
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If you have made a sudden decision to go visit with Ruth your friend in the USA on the next available flight to the country, you have louised.
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If a friend asks you to go with him on an excursion to climb Mt Ophir tomorrow, and he succeeded in persuading you to take last-minute leave from work tomorrow for the climb, which necessitates you to get into that overloaded storeroom of yours to hunt all night for mountain climbing gear, you have been louised.
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If your departmental head comes to you with a new and exciting departmental Critical Must that requires you to revamp your whole plans and goals for the fiscal year, it means she has pulled a louis on you.
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Get it?
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Mondays! February 16, 2009
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February 16th, 2009
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It’s Monday. As usual, I’m about the only person in the office. The rest of the staff has Monday as their off day. According to Anne, that is primarily to beat the Monday blues. To my thinking, if it’s not Monday blues, then it would be Tuesday blues. Either way, they’re going to face it anyway, so why not face it early in the week and get over it fast, right? Some people never seem to think like I do.
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Anyway, here I am. In the office. Alone. (It’s lunchtime anyway). Having come in real early this morning, I’ve done my work for the day by 12pm, and have started on the rest of the week’s work. I don’t know why, but I love Mondays. Something about the start of the week that gets me excited. It’s like – I’ve got so much to accomplish this week, and hey, whad’ya know, I’m actually getting started already! That particular feeling is immensely satisfying. Plus, there’s the fact that I’ve started work for the week ahead of the others. It’s a nice feeling, that – to be ahead of the rest…[grin!]
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So, folks, here’s to a great week ahead!! And to a greater weekend, as well!
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The Things Learnt In Class Yesterday… January 30, 2009
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January 30th, 2009
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So here I am in my CR&W class in the heat of the afternoon, after a heavy lunch of fried rice, sambal, cucumber and chicken rendang. The eyelids were starting to droop when the lecturer gave out a few sheets of lessons. One paper caught my eye, and kept me awake. This is it:
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How To Flunk a Class
Difficulty: Easy
Time required: Very Little
Here’s How:
1. Don’t keep an assignment diary or scheduler – students with As and Bs usually do so because they pesky little reminders in the schedulers that say things like “test in five days” or “read chapter 3 tonight.” Or program reminders in their cell phones. Stay away from these habits.
2. Don’t bother taking notes – the mere process writing down the lecturer’s comments would make some materials sink in, especially for tactile and visual learners. Don’t risk it.
3. Fall asleep in class –Do whatever it takes to keep yourself from staying awake in class: play computer games, surf the net, watch tv, etc until the wee hours of the morning.
4. Wait until the very last minute to begin working on a research paper – just think: if several kids class are writing about the same topic as you, it’s certain that they’ll check out all the books if you wait long enough. There’s no way you’ll get a good grade if all the research material is being used elsewhere by others. Even if you’re the only one researching your topic, you’ve got a great chance of failing if you try to cram a month’s worth of research and writing into a few days (or hours).
5. Leave your completed work at home – self-explanatory. However, please be reminded that you won’t come to this stage if you’ve been carefully following the last point.
6. Ignore all directions – only high-achieving students bother with the correct MLA format on papers, and proof-read their work before printing.
7. Don’t study for a test until the night before – again, self-explanatory.
8. Annoy the teacher – chew gum, don’t ay attention, engage your friends in conversation while the lecturer is lecturing, sleep – do whatever you can to get on your lecturer’s nerves. It will help a lot, especially when he is trying to decide between two grades.
9. Study alone if possible – sometimes, kids who study in a group can pick up new ideas and tips from others. Do you really want to take that chance?
10. Avoid the library at all costs.
11. Eat lots of junk food. Avoid vegetables.
What You Need:
- Procrastination
- Lack of discipline
- Lack of respect
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That’s almost about it. The lecturer did not see fit to tell us his intentions of putting this lesson into our notes. Whether or not he was sarcastic, I don’t really care. These notes made me sit up and stay awake the whole two hours from 2.30 – 4.30pm. And for that, I’m grateful…
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The lessons we learn in class sure are interesting, eh?
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Back to School Again January 10, 2009
Posted by esthertanc in Articles without Pics, Me.1 comment so far
January 9th, 2009
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This is it, Folks. Christmas is over. The New Year has come and gone. The people who came back from foreign parts for the season’s holidays are either back ot getting ready to return within this week. And….school is starting again. 2009 is FULLY Here.
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Here are the subjects I’ll be trying to take this semester and/or trimester:
Romans (STM)
Critical R & W (STM)
Theo 1 (BCM)
OT Survey (STM) again! Hubby wants to sit in and wants me to accompany him, mah.
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What I’m hopeful to take later in the year:
Biblical Interpretation (STM)
Exegetical Methods (STM)
Youth Leadership (BCM)
Religion and Cults (BCM)
Counseling Studies (BCM)
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The courses that I am scheduled to conduct at AGA are as per below:
16 FT ( 8 weeks)
Church History (4 weeks)
Teens Class (14 weeks)
Aspirers – Fundamentals II (9 times?)
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There, my whole year is painted out already.
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How do I feel about it? Well, I feel OK. This is a good pace. So here’s to a fulfilling year ahead!
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What is the meaning of Healing? December 17, 2008
Posted by esthertanc in Agape, Articles without Pics.1 comment so far
December 17th, 2008
The Aspirers wanted to do some revision for their Gateway to Life exam this Sunday. They requested for revision sessions (a.k.a. additional lessons) especially for the sessions that they had missed throughout the last 6 months (class attendance is in the grade). So Anne decided yesterday and today for the sessions and I readily agreed to teach all 10 lessons these two days.
One of today’s lessons was on Divine Healing. It was a seriously funny session. I asked the question “What is Healing?” and here I’d like to share some of what the people thought…
1. Healing is Divine [What? That's all??!!]
2. Healing is being cured, la
3. Healing is the process of getting better
4. Healing is the divine intervention of being cured [??]
5. Healing is the process of a sick person not being sick [what a merry-go-round way to put it!!]
6. Healing is I-was-sick-now-I’m-cured
7. Healing is the process that my Father made that we do not understand the inside appearance of it [this is so convoluted that I don't even want to begin unraveling it!!]
8. Healing is the Unsickening of a person [!!]
9. Healing is not being sick
I had a good laugh, together with the class. Because this is what I had in my notes about the definition of Healing: It is the withholding of sicknesses as a result of keeping God’s commandments.
Haha.
What do YOU think Healing is?
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It’s Just Trauma! December 1, 2008
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December 1st, 2008
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Just been to the doc, folks! The doc says that it is just trauma [whatever that is!] and not a growth. Praise the Lord!!
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While I still don’t know why I nose-bled the last few months, it is a relief that it is nothing serious. Anyway, I’m on antibiotics now, and hope to see the last of the bleeding by the end of the course.
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Thank you, Lord!
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And thank you, All of you, who prayed so hard for me, and who sms’d encouraging words over. You’re just the greatest!!
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Is That Blood? November 30, 2008
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November 30th, 2008
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I went back to mom’s house from the Musical Committee meeting last night at almost 11pm….only to find that a section of the committee members decided to adjourn and meet some more – at mom’s house! They hadn’t had dinner and Tusi the maid was sick in bed…Mom ended up cooking dinner at almost midnight and A. Chris and I stood there doing what we could to help her.
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It was about 12.30am by the time I went upstairs to get ready for bed. The headache hadn’t subsided at all – what was worse was that a hunt for the paracetemol stash I had in the fridge proved fruitless. That seemed odd because I remembered taking at least two last night from the fridge. I chanced to check the trashcan – and found that the packet was there on top of all the rest of the rubbish for the day. The only person who could have put it there was VFui. My speculations as to why he did that ended when I checked the date of the issuance of the packet of paracetemol – early 2007. VFui obviously thought it was expired.
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So without panadol to relief the pain, I decided to just try sleeping it off. I started off to the bedroom to brush my teeth and wash up.
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Over the sink, I blew my nose.
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And saw to my horror dark blood all over the sink!
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What was happening?, I thought. I looked up and checked my face in the mirror – and saw dark blood dripping out of my nose. I blew some more and more blood came out – it was bleeding solely from my left nostril. After a few more blows, with no signs of the blood flow stopping, I decided to just quit doing it, go to sleep and go see a doc in the morning.
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I wasn’t all that worried because I knew the blood was from an incision that happened a few months ago – somehow the wound just won’t get healed, and I will get strains of blood every now and then whenever I blow my nose. It was just the thought to having a non-stop blood flow that made me settle on going to see the doc about it.
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So this morning came. I went to church early to paste whatever Musical Backstage Management stuff I had readied on the necessary walls, told PasSally that I would be off soon; and then off I went.
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DocLawrence met me in his clinic. He examined the clot in the nostril and then the ulcers in my mouth [Did I forget to mention that I had about 3 ulcers on the left side of my mouth? They are useful only if one wants to go on a serious diet, which I don’t]. He looked again into the left nostril. He pronounced that to be infected. And then he hesitantly added that he did not like the look of the infection, and recommended an ENT specialist in town to me, and asked me to go and see that specialist for a scope as soon as possible. He started to explain about NPC [a.k.a. nose cancer] to me. I cut him short and explained that I know a lot about it already because my hubby has it right now and is undergoing RT for it. Thereafter, he went into a minute of shocked silence [he knows VFui pretty well from our visits to his clinic before our NPC period], before he “woke up” and ordered that I definitely go and see the specialist about my nose.
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So, here I am, worrying mom and Minch and Anne and VFui about the nose bleed. VFui called his GH ENT doc immediately and got me an appointment for tomorrow at 4.30pm, after my VBA teaching sessions.
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Am I afraid? Not really. VFui’s cancer had thought me a couple of very clear things – 1) If it happens, it happens. 2) God knows and is in total control – it’s all in His hands.
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Thus, I know that if it really happens to be cancer [which I seriously doubt], I won’t be able to make it better by worrying. And so I’ve decided to just continue to do my work [full weeks ahead, remember?], and take small rests whenever I can.
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And if I do happen to have a tissue that needs to go for biopsy, I will have one more thing to add to my list of already full list of things-to-do: to plan out all my activities for the next three months and remember to not take up any other projects for at least three months.
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Anyway, I have this particular peace inside of me. I feel that it is just the effects of the intense stress I’ve been undergoing the last two months. So I really don’t think I will lose any sleep over this tonight.
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We’ll just see what tomorrow brings, won’t we? Meantime, I’m praying. Do the same for me, will ya?
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Life’s Lessons November 29, 2008
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November 29th, 2008
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I’m right now at a meeting – the Christmas Musical 2008 committee meeting. My head is pounding. My shoulder feels literally weighted down with some 20 kgs of rice sacks. The back of my neck is stiff, with absolutely no relief from any amount of self-massage. And my nostrils? They’re breathing dragonic fire out of me.
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There’s too much to do in too short a time, I’m thinking to myself over and over and over again. First, there is the Vacation Bible Adventure (VBA 2008) lessons and games to read up, think up and prepare. I only have one day to do it before VBA starts. And then there is the Christmas Musical (CM) 2008 – His Story backstage management file to complete – also before tomorrow [this is an impossible task so I’m not even going to try]. For tomorrow [the only time I have to do my VBA lessons], I will be loaded fully with CM 2008 rehearsals right up to 5pm [I hope it’s going to be only up to 5pm!], after which I am to decorate my classroom in preparation for the VBA the morning after. That will go until late in the evening.
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Come Monday and Tuesday [VBA 2008 days], I will be driving down to TungShin Hospital for the Radiotherapy sessions [remember?], which means that I will be late for VBA on both the days.
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Due to the VBA [scheduled on Mon & Tues], and scheduled leaves for the last RT sessions and the Day-long rehearsals for CM2008, I will only be in the office for a total of One day next week. I will have to cram ALL Backstage files and printouts within that day, ’else it would not be readied in time for the Musical’s full dress rehearsals next weekend.
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And I’m thinking to myself – why do I always [ALWAYS!!] have to take on much, much more than I can handle?
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The answer always comes back the same – because I thought I could.
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The thing is – I usually end up finishing all of them (projects, teaching assignments, management planning, etc., etc) on time. But…they all leave me with this very strenuous feeling of dissatisfaction that: 1) I had not given the individual program or project my best shot. 2) I had somehow cheated something or somebody of my best works.
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It is a terrible feeling, that.
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I am hereby using this committee meeting which I am in right now to make an extremely important Life decision – that I will not ever again think I can.
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Take on so much things at one time, that is
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Because I can’t. I can’t give my best in something I’m good at when too much of other stuff is crowding in on my time. Being stretched thin all the time is not a good way to do ministry.
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So, ETC, from now on, no more thinking that you can. Just do the one thing you are passionate about, and leave the rest for others to do.
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Oh, Lord. I repent. If only You can take away this pain in my brains, and heat in my head…
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Help me through the next 3 weeks, LORD. I really need strength here…
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Switching Over… October 13, 2008
Posted by esthertanc in Articles without Pics, Overcoming.add a comment
October 13th, 2008
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Our week was turbulent, to say the least. VFui had a molar extracted and another tooth threatened to act up. On top of that, the gum wasn’t healing as quickly as we hoped it would, and the onco at the Nilai Cancer Institute (NCI) was insistent that everything must be totally healthy before simulation can begin. Simulation, according to NCI, is a process in which a mask is made for VFui, the markings on which state the exact location of radiation during the therapy. NCI requires about a week to get the mask readied. After which, VFui can start going for his 36 sessions of radio-therapy.
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So, okay, here we are, worried to death. It has been about 2 months since VFui had his first symptom – blood in his phlegm. What if while waiting for VFui’s gums to heal [will they ever??], the cancer may spread downwards to the neck area? After all, the onco did say that there is a possibility that it would happen, especially if the malignant cells are aggressive.
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We were feeling somewhat helpless when AWang, VFui’s good friend, called to say that he fixed VFui an appointment with a counterpart of theirs, on Saturday [two days back]. Apparently, this counterpart, EChew, is also diagnosed with NCP (nose cancer), and he is undergoing RT at the moment. He only had one more session to go.
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So they met up on Saturday evening. VFui could not believe his eyes when he saw EChew. He was a tall, robust, friendly, smiling person – the picture of excellent health! Can it be that he really has NCP? Yes, he said. He has. In fact, his had spread down to his lymph nodes and there was a small lump on each side of his neck.
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He shared his testimony – how he discovered his NCP, how he went to NCI and then to another hospital, and then started his RT sessions immediately after that. The side-effects of the RT were extremely minimal for him, and he was able to enjoy general well-being for the entire duration of his sessions. He was extremely encouraging, and VFui decided that he wanted to go to this other hospital, TungShin, for a second opinion about his condition. It was to be EChew’s last RT session on Monday [i.e., today], and he generously invited the both of us to go together with him and his wife to TungShin in KL on Monday, where he would introduce us to the onco there.
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Today came. We met up with EChew and his wife ATheoh and they drove us to the hospital. There we met another couple, the husband of which was also undergoing RT, for the very same disease – NCP. We chatted while waiting for our names to be called. Eddie’s name was called first. Within a few minutes of going in, he came right back out! I thought he came back for something he forgot to take. But he said no, he’s done! Meaning he’s had his last session completed. Wow. That fast? In mere minutes?
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They called our name. We went in. The onco is an ordinary-looking man. His desk sports pics of many family members, several of which are grandkids. He checked VFui’s mouth and nose. Then he reassured us that the tumor had not only not migrated, it was very tiny still. There was to be no problem, and VFui can go and get his mask done immediately, and the RT can start today itself!! Wha…!! We were so unready for this! We asked if we had to wait for about a week after the mask is done to start RT, like we were told at NCI. The onco says no. Of course not. Those “waiting” times were for dramatizations. The mask will only take about ½ hour to make, and the RT session will take less than 10 minutes [compare this with the 40 minutes of positioning and shooting estimated by NCI].
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Apparently, we had since heard that many private hospitals thrive on “dramatization,” for it will induce the patients to part with more of their money. A full RT [35 sessions] typically costs between RM50K – 80K. Tung Shin Hospital’s cancer treatment center is run by the National Cancer Society and it is a non-profit organization, which means the cost is really minimal.
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Anyway, we were stunned. And unprepared. I mean, we did not come for an RT session today. We came for a consultation – the proverbial “second opinion”, you know?
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Do we want to go ahead with this hospital? It will mean travelling to KL every single day for the RT session. Should we do it?
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We considered several factors before we made our decision.
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- The distance and the time – according to EChew, he sometimes arrives back home at around 9.30am, since he is usually the 1st patient. That’s not bad. NCI asks for at least 2 hours [9-11am], and majority of the time is spent registering and waiting
- The costs – yes, it would cost more [for NCI’s fees is being borne by GH], but Tung Shin’s cost is rather within our means
- Confidence level – felt very strongly that the onco at TungShin was much more experienced than the onco at NCI. With this knowing came a great peace of mind.
- The start of the RT – TungShin starts immediately. NCI waits until everything is perfect before starting
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It was really the last two factors that decided for us. We felt peace going to this onco, and we also need the RT not to be delayed any further. Moreover, the onco at TungShin assured us that the gum issues will not be a problem, as the radiation will not shoot directly into them.
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So, we made the decision to switch over. From NCI to TungShin. The sessions will begin on Wednesday – we decided on that, because it was just too, too soon to do it today, our hearts weren’t ready.
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We went back together with an extremely happy and liberated EChew and ATheoh. They’ve completed.
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So starting Wednesday, for the next 7 weeks, we will be starting out to KL at 6.30am in the morning, and hopefully, returning to Seremban by 10am, where after I can immediately head off to work.
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We’re feeling very much at peace now. Thank you, Lord!
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A School’s Peer Pressure Hits Mom July 21, 2008
Posted by esthertanc in Articles without Pics, En, Me.5 comments
July 21st, 2008, Morning
Last week, En came back from school with about 20 mozzy bites on her legs. Apparently, the teacher brought the class to the field for Physical Education. The school field is infested with mosquitoes. En, being of high metabolic rate, got bitten all over.
Her parents’ fears are that one or more of those merciless mozzies would be an Aedes. Fearful of losing En to the fatal Dengue Fever, they had En ask the teacher whether or not she could wear long track bottoms instead of shorts for PE. The teacher said OK.
Today, I dressed En up in track bottoms. She was reluctant. She said it was because it was pink in color, and track bottoms in school must be dark blue only.
Since we’ve rummaged through her entire wardrobe and could not come up with a dark blue one, I decided that she would just have to make do with the pink one until we purchase a blue one within the week.
En was quiet in the car.
We’ve reached the school. En didn’t want to get down. She said she was nervous.
The car at the back was waiting for me to move, and so I ordered En to stop dawdling and get down now.
She did. And then walked despondently to class.
I drove off to let the next car in.
Something stopped me. Perhaps it was the downcast look on En’s face as she headed for class that made me realize something more than just the “teacher’s disapproval” was up.
I drove back into school, parked the car, and nipped up to her class to view her through the window.
She was sitting alone, with a quavering smile on her face. It was her “brave face” smile.
I knew at once what was happening.
My child is being Peer Pressured by her mates!
She was the only one in class with track bottoms, and a PINK one at that! One of her closest friends had laughed at her when she first entered the class. She felt alone and ostracized.
She caught me looking through the window. I mouthed, “Are you OK?”
She shook her head, her smile crumbling. Then she got out of her chair, and ran to me. She burst into tears when she reached me and hid her face in my shirt.
I pulled her aside. Held her. Felt so helpless.
She was crying and telling me what her good friend said. That hideous friend, I thought. She should be chained and thrown into the dungeon to rot!
While she was crying, that evil friend came out to see what was happening. When she saw En crying, she smirked. I wanted to slap her.
Instead, I asked, “Why did you taunt En? She’s crying because of what you said. How could you hurt her like this!”
The friend’s smile vanished. She understood she was in the presence of an angry, avenging mom. She turned around and fled back into the safety of her classroom.
I brought En away from the class. We met a teacher as we were walking. She was very kind. She assured En and I that the pink track bottoms were fine. She also understood that it was really peer pressure that was causing trauma in En’s life. She suggested that En change back into her school uniform, and that she will inform En’s teacher to excuse her from PE today.
We did that.
I am now coming back from the school, with a PE Tee and a pair of pink track pants in the empty seat beside me.
Did I do right?
Have I made the situation more difficult for En by partially succumbing to her peer pressure?
Can I re-do anything at all that happened in the last half hour that could have made the situation any better?
I do not know…
And it is agony to not know…
