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Posted by anakbrunei on September 30th, 2007 in Brunei Darussalam

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a competition to see who could reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began.

No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

or:

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one, except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out….

That the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is:

Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic…. because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you — the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore:

ALWAYS be POSITIVE!

And above all:

Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!

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Posted by anakbrunei on September 29th, 2007 in Brunei Darussalam, People, Reviews

Hmmm the chrome bevels look oddly similar don’t they?

 

Left: Pimped up start screen | Right: Heaps of software available for download

Left: Reading an e-book | Right: Playing an iPhone version of Guitar Hero

[superlative], [superlative], [superlative]

11 Comments

Posted by anakbrunei on September 28th, 2007 in Brunei Darussalam

After answering ZM’s email interview for her Teachers’ Day piece, I thought her interview questions had the makings of a great round of tagging. So here it goes! I tag the first five as Danurasana, Maurina, Ranoadidas, Pablo, and Aunidayini!

1. Name, age and occupation.

Reeda Malik, 37, Civil Servant

2. Which schools did you go to - since kindergarten up till your current/last educational institution?

• St. Michael’s Seria,
• St. Margaret’s Seria,
• Maktab Duli,
• MTSSR,
• ITB,
• Curtin University Perth

3. Favourite subjects [throughout the span of your education, e.g. you can include what you enjoyed in high school, college, AND university]. Why?

In high school, I really enjoyed English and Art and this passion continued into college. Why? These were the two subjects where talent and creativity counts more than anything else! hehe

In university, sociology and anthropology were my favorites in addition to anything IT related. I just love observing and studying different cultures, people, and society. What makes them tick.

4. Favourite teachers? Why?

Many favourites but the ones that spring to mind are:

Mr Gokul Gurpur - English, Commerce and PE teacher in high school. He was young, hip, and on the same wavelength as us kids at the time. Always joking with us, and the way he taught was really great. He never spoke down to us, rather, he taught us like he was telling us stories around the camp fire.

Mrs Kok - Art teacher in high school. She was passionate about art and at the same time a strict disciplinarian. Its unfortunate that art was and still is the least appreciated subject in our educational system. But Mrs Kok opened my eyes to the world of colors, lines, and visual aesthetics.

Dr Philip Moore - Anthropology lecturer in university. He really reminded me of Gokul in his approach to teaching. Every lecture with him was like watching an episode of National Geographic. Amazing man.

5. What qualities do you feel should a good teacher have?

I think teachers should be energetic, patient, jovial, forgiving, participative, friendly, kind, respectful, passionate, and committed not necessarily in that order.

6. What are/were the impacts teachers have/had on you?

Creative thinking and Critical thinking were the two significant impacts which I’ve been fortunate enough to gain from some of the really good teachers in my past.

7. Describe the most memorable moment/s you’ve shared with a teacher/teachers?

Inter-school debating and oratory competitions were great memories with Mr Gokul. He always took the time to discuss current affairs with us and he would get us to think about the issues. The intense training and preparation for the competitions, and of course, winning some of them were great memories.

8. Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher? Yes or no? Elaborate on your answer.

I don’t think I would have the patience to become a teacher.

9. If you’re working, are you still in contact with any of your teachers? Why/why not?

Aside from the occasional bumping into each other, I have little contact with my teachers. Why? Well, for the most part, we just lose touch and in some cases, the teachers are no longer with us.

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