SKYHOVER: February 2006

Yes Sir, Mr Apple

Another matter I need to evaluate and reflect during this "consultation" week I had..

As I was preparing all the documents and papers, and the programme involves other divisions and other staff that are not under mine, so I guess I have been using a lot of "commanding" words in the process such like : Get this filled up by tomorrow, photostat this, please,; go and dig out the file from X and X...etc

Though the "please" word is there but the tone does not reflect that...

So this colleague of mine came in to see me on certain matter by addressing me "Mr. Apple.. can I ask you ...." very promptly I asked him why he called me Mr Apple, becuase I used to call him just name without title to show that we are same position and most important a fellow friend and colleague ..

He smiled and also can't explain why.

Later, as I evaluate, I think I carried myself to much as a "leader/commander" when come to serious work and meeting certain standard I expect. so I guess, I need to tone down a bit or else I am the least popular person in the school. :-P

Nightmare with Consultant

Well, Last week I was stuck with this British consultant ( An old but wise man) sent from the Education Director of UK, to "look at" the course programme that I oversee.

Of course, we need to prepare all the documents and QAA for him to view and discuss with him. I was literally in due stress for the week before he came, where my division head and i had so much thing to check and prepare for him, JUST for 2 miserable days with him.

I wonder whether I am a bit sensitive or it is true that a consultant who used to carry himself in such way that , to me, so stuck-up and nose + head + whatever held up against you, or it is a natural thing that a consultant would behave (Are you one of them, Mr Zen? :-P)

I am not that easily "wounded" anyway, in fact I told my division head that I look forward to seeing him to give us constructive suggestion to improve, just that I am not that kind of person to be "too lowly" in front of people from those "advanced & developed" countries like UK.

I am physical and mentally tired with all the meetings and dinners. Afterall, the consultant and I did have a good chat during the dinner and we welcome him to come again, sincerely.

His visit has taught me that how important critical and reflective thinking we should have in order to improve ourselves. I guess I agree totally with this, in all aspect of our lives - spiritually, emotionally and in mortality.

This stress will continue as I am seeing another one next week..... sob sob!! I am looking forwards to March :-)

One E Xhuen

We were in Jusco and this "professional" old caligraphy-writer were inviting the people to try writing for new year traditional chinese poem. So he asked everyone to write the first character and he would continue with the first character written down . Many were too "conventional" that they wrote many common chinese good words, so I thought I should be a bit different. I wrote dino2's name as the first letter on the red papes. That took him about 10 minutes to think of a nice 'poem" for the second character, and I probed him a bit and gave him some idea :-)

The other one is dino1's writing, a simple " E" which means one - the caligrapher praised him that the word was written with great strength, and therefore gave him the following nice word...

What do they mean???

The one for dino1: Being famous with ONE deed
The one for dino2: Light of the world with grace
Shinning over the household with glory

Haha, I guess they should mean that .... don't play play :-P