Heartland is where the heart belongs

The night breeze is cool and gentle. There is no upsetting crowd chants unlike in the city area. In its place, the uplifting crowd cheers fill the air.

Everyone is happily picking up a bargain for at the little kiosks at the foyer area of town centre. A number are touting the latest fad and style fashion apparels, assessories such as belts, earrings and bags. Some are clearing branded rejects at rock bottom prices. You can also get cheap thrills for little children which tie in with the different times of the year - lanterns during the Lantern Festivals, or the newest kids on the block.

When the clock strikes 8.30 pm, the salesgirl at nearby bakery shop will shout in her hoarse, loud voice of the markdown prices of the buns. Bargain hunters could take their pick from the fresh array of buns for a good half an hour before the shop shutters come down.

Besides buns, shoppers could also choose from a plethora of eating establishments that caters to different budgets. There is the everyday kopi-tiam style Koufu, Crystal Jade Chinese Restaurant and a couple of other restaurants to choose from depending on what you fancy For those on the move, they will also be spoilt for a choice with household fast-food chains such as MacDonalds, Burger King, KFC; as well as local one like Old Chang Kee dotting the suburban shopping area.

I love shopping in the suburban area especially the one near my place. Not only can I get the things which I need all within close proximity, it is also very easy on my pocket. Especially for fashion items, yes, the price does reflect the quality. But the clothing and assessories could last till the next wave in fashion sweeps in.

At the same time, I feel a sense of homecoming when I am at my town shopping unlike in the city. Maybe, it is because I can easily catch a bus home. Or even if I were to miss the last bus, I could always take a lazy stroll in the cool and serene night under the starry sky. Ahh... heartland is truly where the heart belongs.

Welcome a New Year

This year is a very special year for me. It is 2010. I am still alive and kicking 10 years since the beginning of a new millennium.

The last ten years were a sinuous path. In 2000, I started to pursue my MBA on a part-time basis. Barely two months in the course, I found that I was pregnant with my first child. I decided to continue with my course as the timing was immaculate. Based on the Expected Delivery Date, my boy would be born after the final examination and I could nurse back to health during the two months term break.

Things went accordingly to plan mostly and the next few years of my life was without much fanfare. It was until 2003 when the unexpected news that I was carrying my second child came. While unexpected to a certain extent, the timing was almost perfect - I would be able to complete my studies before giving birth. Though my second boy arrived slightly earlier, I have buffered time for that.

I supposed planning is part of me. Then came 2005 where I took a one-year time-off from my career to be a SAHM in a foreign land. Though I was then not holding a full-time job, my hands were full from taking care of the two young toddlers and I could fully appreciate the term "terrible two" as my younger boy was then approaching. But my mind was more peaceful as it was uncluttered with no work to think of. On hindsight, this was a best time of my life in this millennium and it changed my perspective a great deal.

When I returned to Singapore again, I was more independent. I managed to weave in a lot of things which I had wanted to do but never ever to find time to do. The top three on my list which I have successsfully conquered are 1. to have a blog; 2. to learn piano; and 3. to work on my public speaking skills. Besides these three, I have also managed to establish a regular exercise routine and be a better cook and mother.

What's next in 2010? I will like to improve on my piano, public speaking and writing skills. Incidentially, when I was clearing my stuff the past few months, I saw books which I would copy down useful phrases to beef up my limited vocabulary dating as far back as 1996! As for learning the piano, I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar since I was a teenager. The second-hand guitar has survived decades of spring cleaning and shifting of houses. In the case of public speaking, I recalled that I was on stage telling a story when I was in primary school. In a sense, sometimes, we already know what our interests are but we need to traverse to find out what we really love.

Chalking it up, Part 3

Next, I shall move on to how to do general evaluation at club meeting.

General Evaluator Checklist
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The General Evalutor gives feedback to the meeting participants who have not already been evaluated. Here is the opportunity for the Toastmaster, Table Topics Master, Table Topics participants, and the Evaluators to receive feedback on how well they did and to hear suggestions on how to improve. The Timer, Ah Counter, and Grammarian are also there to help participants see how well they are doing in achieving their goals; call on them for their reports.

A. Presiding Officer
- Did the meeting start on time?
- Were the guests welcomed?

B. Toastmaster
- Were the meeting roles explained?
- Were guests given an opportunity to introduce themselves?
- Did the introductions include: 1. a brief biographical sketch; 2. the objectives of the speech; the speech title
- Were the transitions between speeches smooth?
- Did the sequence between speeches show that the Toastmaster was listening?
- Will the meeting end on time?

C. Table Topics Master
- Were the topics appropriate?
- Were the topics introduced in one minute or less?
- Were any special techniques (e.g., props, gestures) employed?
- Were members called on in the appropriate order (those with no role, then smaller roles, then larger roles)?
- Were guests invited to participate?

D. Table Topics Participants
- How has each speaker improved?
- Were any special techniques (rephrase, artful dodge) used?
- What, in terms of the mechanics of impromptu speaking, can be improved?

E. Evaluators
- Was the book report summary avoided?
- Was the "sandwich" technique employed: 1. Did it begin with a positive note; 2. Was at least one suggestion for improvement made. 3. Were more than three suggestions made; 4. Was encouragement added at the close.

Just like a speech evaluation, the general evaluation should neither be whitewash nor a scathing criticism, but should point out where the club could use some improvement and what we are doing well.
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Take Note of What Your Say

This is a very short post to share on the common words that most people are not aware that they are guilty of repeating.

Most oft-heard are sounds like "Er", "Ah". These are word fillers - i.e. they are there to fill in the pauses. It is okay to have pauses in speeches. Pauses are great for us to think of what to say, create suspense and simply for us to breath.

Unknown to the speakers, word fillers could such a distraction to the listeners.

Here are some of the common words for sharing. Take note of them and do strive to eliminate them from your speech.

- Er, Ah
- Um
- Okay
- Lahs
- So (non-connective)
- And (non-connective)
- You Know
- Say
- I Mean
- Right, Alright
- Word Repetition
- Phrase Repetition
- I Think
- Basically
- Etc, Etc
- Others (Pls fill in)

Stories for Primary 2 Children (4)

Ruminants

Some animals cannot protect themselves against their stronger, fiercer and faster predator. As these animals cannot move quickly, they have a special way of eating. Whenever they find somd food, they run away to hide after swallowing the food quickly without chewing it for fear of being attacked. Once safe in their hiding place, they will force the food out from their stomachs, biting it over and over again, chewing the food at their leisure. This is called chewing the cud and animals that do this are called ruminants.

One such ruminant is the cow. Its stomach has five parts. Each of these parts does something different to the food.

Another ruminant, the camel, has three parts in its stomach. It uses the first to store food while grazing in the field and to form the food into cud. In the second part is the digestive juice while the chewed cud is digested in the third.

Source: Adapted from "Tell Me How?" By Chanceller Press
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A Shopping Trip

Mrs Lee wanted to buy new clothes for her children, Mei Mei and Tze Min, as they had outgrown their old ones. She wanted to go to the mall because there was a sale on. Mother knew that the mall was especially crowded on weekends so she wanted an early start.

Mrs Lee and her children had breakfast. Then, the children got dressed. The thought of open spaces to run around and the numerous toys to play with was too much for the children. The children jumped up and down in the car and squealed in delight when they reached the mall. Mrs Lee reminded them they would only get new clothes if they behaved.

The Lee family spent three hours in the mall. IT was a more worthwhile trip for the children than Mrs Lee. Tze Min had two new pair of pants and three shirts, while Mei Mei had two pretty dresses. Mrs Lee ended up with a dress. Before they left for home, Mrs Lee bought chocolate ice-cream to reward her children for their good behavior.

Tze Min and Mei Mei had a tiring but memorable trip.
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Father and Son

Mr Chiam came home from work late, tired and irritated. He found his five-year old son, Calvin waiting for him at the door. Calvin asked him how much he earned an hour. He told Calvin that he earned twenty dollars an hour. Calvin lowered his head sadly. Looking up all of a sudden, he asked to borrow ten dollars from Mr Chiam.

Mr Chiam was furious. He scolded Calvin for being childish and sent him to bed. Calvin quietly went to his room and shut the door. After about an hour, Mr Chiam had calmed downa nd thought that he might have been too hard on his son. Mr Chiam went to Calvin's room and opened the door. He apologised to Calvin and gave him the ten dollars he had asked for.

Calvin sat straight up smiling. "Oh thank you, Daddy!" he yelled.

Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some crumpled notes. Calvin slowly counted his money, then he looked up at his father.

Calvin said, "Daddy, I have twenty dollars now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
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Stories for Primary 2 or Grade 2 Children (3)

An Old Man, A Donkey and A Dog

A long time ago, there lived a poor old man who had no wife or children. However, he had two good companions, a donkey and a dog. As the old man was very poor, the donkey and the dog often had to go without food.

The old man, the donkey and the dog would travel across the land and up into the hills, searching for gold in the ground.

One day, they arrived at the top of a hill. The dog stood still. It lifted its paw to pat a spot on the ground. The old man bent down and dug into the soft sand.

With a loud cry of joy, the old man threw his spade on the ground. What he found made him very happy. He loaded the gold onto the donkey's back. The three best friends walked down the hill and into the village. Never again did they have to go without food.
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Butterfly

Butterfiles are insects. They are noted for their wings which are often colourful and bright. Butterfly wings are different from bird wings. Bird wings are made of feathers, but butterfly wings are made of tiny overlapping scales.

A butterfly has an interesting life cycle. It starts as an egg. When it is born, it is what we called a catepillar. Each caterpillar then moves into a cocoon and becomes a chrysalis. When the insect comes out of the cocoon, we call it a butterful.

Butterflies can be found almost all over the world. There may be as many as twenty thousand different species of butterflies. Butterflies usually feed on flower nectar.

Butterflies symbolise different things in different cultures. Some people say that when a butterfly lands on you, it means good luck. Other people may say that they have "butterflies in their stomach" when they have to sit for an examination that they are not prepared for.
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Stories for Primary 2 or Grade 2 children (2)

A Bad Dream

Sometimes when I am very tired and fall asleep, I have frightening dreams of monsters and wild animals chasing me. I had one of the most frightening dreams recently that I thought it was reality.

I dreamt that I was in the school field with my classmates during recess. We were playing football and laughing happily together. Suddenly, all my friends disappeared and I was alone. The field was covered with thick fog and it became very dark and silent. I began to call for my friend in fear, but the strange thing was that no sound came out of my mouth.

Then, I saw a tall and dark shadow floating towards me. I tried to scream but again, no sound came out. I tried to run, but my legs became as heavy as a log and I could not lift them from the ground. The dark shadow began to drift closer towards me. It began to laugh at me. It was a loud, horrible laughter. I struggled again to escape from it. Suddenly, I felt a pair of cold hands, grabbing me.

Fortunately, I woke up at this point and saw my sister using fingers to splash water at my face.
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The Star Llama

Once, there was a young boy. He had no family except for his animal, an old sheep. Each day, the boy and his sheep would walk many miles, looking for a home. Each night, they would curl up together and sleep.

Once starry evening, the old sheep died. The boy buried his friend next to an icy stream. Then he sat under a tree and cried. He had no family and no home. The boy cried for a long time. There was no one to comfort him.

Suddenly, the sky filled with bright light. The boy held his breath. He was afraid to move. One bright star fell to the ground. Slowly, the star took the shape of the old sheep. She bent her head and drank from the stream. She looked at the boy and smiled. As she jumped back into the sky, bits of wool fell. As the sun began to rise, the boy picked up the soft, warm wool. It glowed in his hands like starlight. He carried the wool to the city and sold it. With the money, he bought a house and two young sheep. He never forgot the star sheep. He was never lonely again.

Source: Adapted from 'The Star Llama and Other Stories"
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