HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY YANZHEN!

here's to our friendship of 6 years and counting! :) we may have had ups & downs along the way, but this friendship is something i really cherish & hold close to my heart!

i went to JE lib today and managed to find the prequel to 'Just Beyond the Clouds'! :) looking forward to reading it!

hmm and i feel demoralized by driving..feel lousy at it!! i feel like i keep deproving with each lesson..forgetting how to do stuff that i could do few lessons back..my parents keep chasing me to apply for a test date but i feel so lousy how will i ever be prepared to take the test!

and i cant help but feel disappointed with some people..nvm..must learn to forgive and forget!

just beyond the clouds

i just finished reading this book by karen kingsbury, titled "Just Beyond the Clouds", and i really enjoyed my read! :)

it revolves around 2 adults with Down Syndrome, Daisy and Carl Junior- whose genuine and innocent love and care for each other makes relationships seem so simple and real- and their older siblings, Elle & Cody who eventually fall in love too..the whole story is just very sweet..Elle is a teacher in a school which gears its students with Down Syndrome up for independent living, where each of them has a Goal Day, something which gives their lives meaning and something to look forward to..Cody initially struggles against the idea as he believes that his brother CJ should be safely at home, taken care of by his family, given his medical problems..he felt that the school was just instilling impossible ideas in his brother's mind as he would never be able to take care of himself..but he slowly grows to realise that all the "life skills" Elle has been teaching were having tremendously positive effects on the students there..

I could identify with some of the life skills they tried to impart to the students cos we seek to achieve them during sessions too..but i guess the book probably catered to more high-functioning students and thus not all the ideas are applicable..but some of the skills the students mastered were memorizing bus routes, baking & cooking (where different students were in charge of bringing different ingredients), shopping within a budget, cleaning up, reading & writing, speaking at appropriate volumes, crossing the road safely, table manners, making choices between alternatives, recognizing feelings and talking about them, dancing, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and as this book is written by a staunch christian, prayer was one of the most important skills emphasized.

each Friday Elle would bring her students on field trips, something they very much looked forward to, just like our trainees in RSPID! :) it's so sweet how CJ always tries to protect Daisy when it rains because she's afraid she would melt, just like the wicked witch in Wizard of Oz..he would tell her that "there is sunshine..just beyond the clouds"..which i felt was really heartwarming :)

other than that, there is of course the love that blossoms between Elle & Cody, both of whom have experienced life-turning events causing them to not want to love again..i highly recommend this book! :)

lastly, may i quote these phrases from the book, which touched me particularly:

"A mother know she's done a great job when she has an empty nest and a full heart"

"Down Syndrome is nothing more than a layer of clouds, really. Clouds that cover up a very bright sunshine." (and hence the title & theme of the book!)

the transformers

i watched the transformers on tv yesterday in full for the first time, and it was simply heartbreaking yet touching at the same time..they told the story of a 75 year-old man, who is still slogging his life away as a karang guni to support his family of 3 kids and a wife, all of whom do not work at all..notably, his kids have all grown up, but they are not just not independent to support even themselves, much less their parents, who should be enjoying their old age by now..his youngest two daughters jumped to their deaths, which could possibly be the reason why the other children are not mentally stable today, having been traumatized by the tragedies in their family. when the hosts visited his apartment, there was hardly any space to walk at all! it was filled, almost to the ceiling, with decades of items, junks, and other stuff he repaired, collected through his work as a karang guni..

yet, despite all the sadness that loomed over the family (he even prepared casket photos of both his wife & himself already), he could still face life with such optimism and willpower..i really admire his strength..it was heartwrenching to see an old man like him shed tears as he related his life story to the hosts..it was touching to see his home, which originally looked like a junkyard simply unsuitable for inhabitance, transformed into one which now boasted of beds, a luxury almost all of us take for granted..it lifted my heart to see him smiling from ear to ear, after finally being able to see 'walls' in his house, and having his items converted into cash...

the show reached out to me constantly, and i'm sure other viewers as well, to really cherish what we have..the old man said that they occasionally would chi hao de, which was to packet food with a few dishes costing $2..and they didn't cook because gas is expensive..what a difference it would make if the richer people of this society would just share a tiny bit of their wealth with the less well-to-do..

hmm..and i realised when some things are gone, they are gone forever..no matter how hard i try, it is not for me, a single person, to change anything..and perhaps this is just how it's meant to be..living in separate worlds, with occasional overlaps in our lives..

capturing beautiful moments :)

i like how the sun's rays can create a sky boasting a palette full of colours, and how the clouds join in the merriment to bring beautiful sights, one after another, to our eyes..



each time when it is nearing sunset and i get the chance to witness just a slightly orange sky, i'd always stop in my tracks to admire it just for a few moments more..to capture that soothing picture in my memory, and to appreciate how beautiful nature can be..whenever i'm on the train and the vast sky outside, together with the setting sun, cast a golden light over the land, i just can't help but wish i could run to the edge of the island, with no buildings to obstruct my view, just to keep snapping pictures of the wondrous sky!



i like how the sky always seems darker towards the top, with a gentle gradient bringing it to a lighter shade where it touches the land..how clouds glow along their silver linings..how they turn orange, red and pink when the sun sets..a simple blue sky with white clouds or one common to the break of day, with its blue and orange streaks, makes me feel blessed to be alive somehow! i always wish i was a better artist, able to paint what i see, but i know i can never reproduce such stunning gradients that only Mother Nature is capable of!



and i'm very happy that i got my new camera! i feel really excited that i can better capture all these wonderful scenery around me..here are the first few photos i took with it! :)

also, exams are finally over! yet again, a semester has gone by just like this..i don't really want uni to be over so fast..i think its one of the last moments i still feel sheltered, guided along..and youthful! so i must cherish these moments as best as i can!