Mid-term cum Hari Raya Break

This one was arranged to coincide with the Raya celebrations. It's good to have a break. One reason why I like teaching is the scheduled breaks all throughout the year. Just as I get to beh tahan point, a break would come along. Even though it may be as short as just one week, it does wonders. Kinda like a cooling down period.

One week would past by quite quickly, I am sure. The 'hols' (Raya break) began with a nice dinner and good conversation; it was almost midnight when we got home. We have one more SIP which we are planning to do... I find having some vegetables growing in the garden very convenient.

Also the beginning of this hols marks Steve Jobs' letting go the helm at Apple. Kinda sad to see this development. I switched over to Mac about 3 years ago when I got the MacBook. Back then, we always referred to Windows as the dark side... the PCs were inferior to the Mac but dominated. Then the iPod, iPod Touch, iMac and iPad followed suit. I never imagined that the Mac would one day dominate the market, or that it would be the computer of choice for many. A Mac retail outlet (Switch) is opening in USM.... that is sign enough that the Mac has arrived.

What made Apple one of the most valuable companies in the world is Jobs, his ability to surround himself with the best people, encourage them on, etc, etc.... One could learn quite a lot from the success of Apple. It was not built on the work of one man, but of how that one man, got others to work not for him only but with him. We could learn a few lessons about that from him...

Or late, I notice how the same people seem to be taking charge of the same thing... there is this indispensability thingy. New ideas are not very welcomed. Changes are feared. And somehow, many seem to be trying to cling to those tasks or responsibilities which they feel make them relevant... or at least that's how it appears to me. Or maybe the hanging in is to pass to their kids. But like Jobs, we are mortal... we could either cling to those things and leave an empty shell when we leave or be like him who wanted to leave something meaningful and not be the richest man in the cemetery. A legacy worth leaving, making a difference in lives.... not clinging on for ourselves only...

On another note, I cleared my long beans patch with Other Half. Many years ago, we used bricks to demarcate the patch but after the last flood, in my haste to clear my drain of the sand and soil, I piled them onto that patch. And so the bricks got buried even deeper. So today, with a crowbar and a lot of brute strength, Other Half pried them out from the patch. They were already heavily entwined by the roots. We had especially bought a crowbar from ACE a couple of weeks ago for this purpose. He put up the pipes for the vines to creep after we were done with the clearing. I loosened the soil for new rounds of planting... I've put in the bush and French beans. I hope they'll sprout. Nothing else seems to grow well in the patch, except beans so far.

The hols is just starting... many people are on the move. We'll be staying put. Son is sitting for his big exam this year. I'm planning to sit with my girl who needs remedial work... Chinese school is hard on banana kids like mine. Sometimes I wonder why can't my kids take to Chinese school with minimal struggles... perhaps too this is a lesson and reminder for us as parents too.

And one more thing, coffee dependence. I've been rather caught up with the loads of stuff that I have to do the last couple of months; at home and work. And somehow, I didn't realize that I had been become dependent again on coffee to get through the day. I usually don't take coffee during hols and the effects showed. I had a splitting headache the first day. Today is the second day and the head is still aching. To be perked up with the help of chemicals... I guess it's good that this break came along. There is time to clean my system of excessive caffeine. 8)

The rainy spell is back... at the back of our minds, some of us are worried about floods. I find myself checking the river levels, weather forecast, the tides..... but again, this is something we're quite helpless to stop. However, I think it still pays to be prepared for the worst..... 8) Typhoon Irene is the news now. I've a friend who sits in her path, though out of the danger zone, supposedly. From what I hear, people just sit, prepare and try to brace through it...

Happy hols... Selamat Hari Raya! And this hols I started playing Fragger on my iPad too... It's kinda fun to be throwing grenades and blowing up all those aliens, bad guys, etc, etc... stress busting, in a way too. LOL!!!