Down but not (trying to be) out

It's finally here - the exhaustion of 'teacher work' - it has finally caught up and I'm feeling drained and zombie-like, just floating into classes and mumbling information without much thought or connectivity to the lesson, the students or to my self. I've got stuck in a boring rut with some of my classes/lessons and feel discouraged to get up and do something new and exciting to add necessary zing to the lesson and me. I just wish I need not be there in these lessons to teach - the subject matter is boring, the students indifferent and uninterested. Yet, it is the challenge I must overcome, the Goliath I must slay, the chance to be great which I must embrace . . . I am in the process of becoming an excellent teacher with amazing teaching skills in an amazingly entertaining and mentally stimulating class (how's that for a positive confession - yeah!!!)

Road to Perdition

One of the constant source of frustration, anger and potential destruction of my car is the road leading in to my farm house. It is constantly in bad shape, thanks to our heavy rainfall almost everyday, rough use by big 4X4 wheels of my neighbours car and a badly created 'road'. It usually ends up as a river for the rain water to flow away and a meeting place for mud and sand.

Upon entering the 'road' to my farm house you are greeted by several large holes that just grows deeper and larger by the day.

You then have to turn right uphill facing a slope of slippery mud and again several sink mud-holes. Next its a slope down that is slippery and muddy - does wonders to your car's suspension.

Lastly, its the final stretch to my house through the valley of the rut of mud - beware the rocks may scrape the bottom of the car.

And speaking of car, this is how my car looks like after every trip back home. Thank God it's still in one piece!

Anyone willing to help repair this road? I know it costs a 'bomb' to repair and I suspect you need to know what you are doing if this problem is to be rectified correctly. Till then its drive carefully, pray hard and fill up the holes with whatever stones I can find/buy. Happy driving!

New kid on the farm

A few Sundays ago, just a minute or so after my wife and I arrived at the goat house in our farm, our she goat gave birth to a blonde, cute kid (i.e. baby goat) with birth sac, blood and all (just like in the National Geographic documentaries). My wife has decided to call him (yup, it's a male) Snowy because he has a white patch on his forehead and him being blonde like a 'white man'. Now we have 4 goats on the farm - 3 males and 1 female.

Robbed . . . finally

I guess it was something just waiting to happen sooner or later - my car was broken into today at around 3pm when I was buying something from a supermarket nearby. Strangely, when I stepped out of the car, I felt that it was a suitable target for a break in and so I took a large storybook and covered my portable CD player that was at the back of the car (it was rather obvious) not noticing my wife's handbag on the front passenger seat. You guessed it - the thief (thieves) smashed the front passenger door window, put his hand in (assuming it's a he) and took the bag plus my wife's handphone nearby. That's all that was missing but I'm sure I had it coming. My car is my second home and with so many things in it, it was just a matter of time plus a dropping of my guard and wham! a perfect piece of tantalizing crime bait. Anyway, I'm glad it was only a handbag and handphone. The thieves missed a lot of other valuables littered all over my car (valuable to me I mean). I also have my car and the repairs didn't cost a bomb. So it's okay! For the thief (or thieves) a little prayer commending them to a just God to punish suitably and justly either in this life or the next was made (get what you deserve from God - He's the best avenger!). The crime level in Kuching is rising slowly but surely and I guess this is just another indication of it and a reminder to me to get my car in order and all the stuff I leave in it. How's your car?

Getting them to read

The increasing workload (tons of stuff to read and mark or write) its taking a toll on my mind - feel tight and about to explode; not to mention the headaches and a sense that my mind is shutting off. Even so, I press on and close my eyes to rest when it's too much.

Now to what i really want to write about - how to encourage reading. After scanning through a bunch of articles I collected from the Net, i have discovered 7 ways that seem to work:

1. read aloud books to those you desire to see reading. It seems that when good books are read out well, an interest is created to pick up a book and read it yourself.
2. present books as a treasure worth having. Reveal books true worth and teach 'them' to respect books.
3. make time for reading. Free time for reading makes room for books to be read.
4. pick up books you enjoy and find easy to read. Books must be enjoyable if it is to be read. Ditch those boring tomes you are struggling to overcome.
5. gossip books. Discuss what has been read with others; write reviews and create lists so others will be aware what is available and be tempted to read.
6. make books available. many don't read because the books they want are not available, to expensive to buy or just not within reach. Libraries should be well stocked and programs to give books out for free or recyling read books should be increased.
7. meet the author and have a person behind the book. Authors should make themselves known.

If you have any more ideas or want to build on my list, please do do. By the way, anyone here read a book you like or have a book you want to share?