I can hear the bells* - Nikki Blonsky

Just got off a 3 hour meeting with some people from Reading. At one point of time, this lecturer from Reading was asking us, "Can you hear the bells ringing????"

Yes, MM. Loud and clear!

No, they are not wedding bells. Nor are they bells to signal meal time! Those are alarm bells! There is so much work to do - and expectations placed upon us are so high. Don't be envious of my 9 hours of classes a week timetable.

As it is, just last week, i had to give up things which i never thought i would - like my sleep time. Or my Wednesday movie time!!!! *Gasp* I go to sleep thinking about work and i wake up very much the same way. For the first time in me life, i broke a rule which i kept for all my working life (save for those odd one or two occasions) - i brought work back home to do. I brought work back home every day last week.

It's a good thing i enjoy my job! :-)

*Taken from the movie version of the musical Hairspray and sung by what could be one of the find of the year! She's brilliant! And the song is cute!

I believe* - Blessid Union of Souls

There's something very sobering about taking a walk in a cemetery or a columbarium. In a non-morbid way, i kinda like doing that once in a while.

One gets a grim reminder of the frailty of life. Death does not discriminate - not by sex, not by age, not by race. It was heart-wrenching to see a space containing the urns of triplets, whose date of birth was the same as the day they passed on, which was not too long ago. One wonders how long did their parents get to be with them - hours? Minutes? Seconds?

One gets to be thankful and start to appreciate more the people who are still around. And the life that we still have. Life is a gift - and i like how some people in my church use the phrase "the lease of life".

And one - who is a Christian - never fails to have their hearts touched when reading the messages on the tombstones (or the stone tablets covering the little place housing the urns of the remains). The verses quoted are all filled with hope - hope that those who have passed on are in God's presence, that their sins are forgiven, that they are safe in the arms of Jesus, that all pain and suffering is over, that they have fought the good fight.

And this hope is not just wishful thinking - it is the assurance and confidence that we have because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross so many years ago - he died so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life.

And with this hope, we have the great anticipation of being reunited again with those who have gone on. That day will indeed be sweet.

Happy birthday, pa.

p/s - photo taken at the PJ Columbarium. I like the contrast - the background are the flats where people are living while the foreground houses the remains of the dead. Or perhaps, a more accurate description is the one Jesus himself used - those who are sleeping.

*One of their big hits, taken from their debut album.

The great pretender* - The Platters

Actually, he's not a great pretender - the stupidest, perhaps? Did he think he was gonna get away with it, with all the TV cameras and instant replays these days???

What kind of a role model is he for our young footballers??? I have no more respect for him

(Pic from a link in Google images)

*A classic, reaching #1 in 1956, and appearing also on the soundtrack of American Graffiti.

Doin' fine* - Jewel

E-mail from a colleague yesterday:-

Me reply:-

p/s - "Stage 1" is when you get all excited over meeting your students for the first time. "Stage 2" is when the honeymoon's over! ;-P

*Track #7 from her 4th album, 0304, her highest debuting album in her career.

My heart will go on* - Celine Dion

It was with great joy when i read yesterday that Hui Yi (pic on the right) finally got a heart to replace the mechanical one.

I also read that on the same day, another heart was available and the parents of the donor wanted Hui Yi to have it. But when they heard that she oredi received one, they left it for someone else.

So it was wif some mild surprise when i picked up this morning's newspapers and read again about Hui Yi and her heart transplant. Making the head lines on 2 days in a row? Did they not have anything else better to put on the front page.

It was when i read the article when i found that that Hui Yi's body had started to reject the first heart and the doctors had to do another heart transplant on her, using the the second heart that was miraculously available. It took a year before a heart was available to her - and when the heart came, there were 2 of it!!!! Just like London buses, eh? ;-P

Doctors said that “Hui Yi would not have made it if she had not received the second heart”. Read the article here.

Let's continue to pray her, that she'll make it this time round. And for the 2 set of parents who lost a loved one, let's pray for comfort - and that they'll indeed take heart (pun not intended) that the self-less action of their child has touched many people.

I blogged about being an organ donor previous (see here).

Many more like Hui Yi are waiting for an organ in order to resume life as normal as possible. To some, it is a matter of life and death, literally.

As i said previously - be an organ donor!!!! I can guarantee that you won't live to regret it.

*The (in)famous song from Titanic. Loved it til the radio killed it by playing it too much!!!

Freedom* - Robbie Williams

*His remake of George Michael's brilliant song, this version was his first single since leaving Take That and was never featured in any album.

Gone* N'Sync

But amid the noise and bustle of everyday life, there is one notable absence.

This city is normally full of monks, going in and out of temples, shopping on the street stalls, and even stopping for a chat in the teashops.

This morning though we hardly saw any. That is because for the last few days the military has been busy rounding them up.

Thousands of monks have been arrested since the weekend and many of them are now locked up in the government technical college on the outskirts of the city - a windowless hall which has three military vehicles stationed outside.

You can read the entire report here.

Article 9 of the ICCPR

1. Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.

Article 10 of the ICCPR

1. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.

Article 7 of the ICCPR

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

*One of their hits released in 2001

Hard habit to break* - Chicago

Here i am, close to midnite, just finished my dinner and watching an episode of a TV series, getting ready to burn the midnite oil. Books around me, notes all over, coffee beside the laptop - it's gonna be a long nite. But i have to prepare for the 9 am class later.

And instead of starting work, i am blogging.

Some things never change! Old habits die hard. Everything is left to the last minute. This scenario is exactly like every other nite in Essex before an early morning class.

The only difference is that during class later, i'll be the one up front!!!

*One of their well known classics wif the distinct vocals of Peter Cetera.

Start of something new* - Zac Efron, Andrew Seeley, and Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Finally, i step into class for the first time shortly after i publish this post. The journey of over 40 thousand kilometers has taken many years. But now, i have arrived. The door of the lecture hall marks the end of a most wonderful journey - and as i step over the threshold, a new one begins.

My prayer and hope is that in years to come, i can echo what Associate Prof Azmi Sharom said in his column recently regarding the lawyers who took part in the march for justice recently:-

...standing there in Putrajaya, first in the scorching sun and then the chilling rain, I could not have been prouder. Amongst the crowd were ex-students who came up and said hello.

To think that my colleagues and I had played a small role in the development of these men and women, who are willing to make their stand, means we must have done something right.

To look around and feel part of a larger group of people who work in the legal field and who appreciate justice; well it was a good time to be a law teacher.

(Azmi Sharom shares his views on the Judiciary and the March For Justice here)

In the classic words of Norma Desmond, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up".

*The opening song of High School Musical. Yes, it was a duet but Zac couldn't reach the high parts so he "Milli Vanilli"ed it!!!

I'll stand by you* - The Pretenders

Dear friends,

Burma's generals have brought their brutal iron hand down on peaceful monks and protesters -- but in response, a massive global outcry is gathering pace. The roar of global public opinion is being heard in hundreds of protests outside Chinese and Burmese embassies, people round the world wearing the monks' color red, and on the internet-- where our petition has exploded to over 200,000 signers in just 72 hours.

People power can win this. Burma's powerful sponsor China can halt the crackdown, if it believes that its international reputation and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing depend on it. To convince the Chinese government and other key countries, Avaaz is launching a major global and Asian ad campaign on Wednesday, including full page ads in the Financial Times and other newspapers, that will deliver our message and the number of signers. We need 1 million voices to be the global roar that will get China's attention. If every one of us forwards this email to just 20 friends, we'll reach our target in the next 72 hours. Please sign the petition at the link below -if you haven't already- and forward this email to everyone you care about:

To sign petition, go here.

The pressure is working - already, there are signs of splits in the Burmese Army, as some soldiers refuse to attack their own people. The brutal top General, Than Shwe, has reportedly moved his family out of the country – he must fear his rule may crumble.

The Burmese people are showing incredible courage in the face of horror. We're broadcasting updates on our effort over the radio into Burma itself – telling the people that growing numbers of us stand with them. Let's do everything we can to help them – we have hours, not days, to do it. Please sign the petition and forward this email to at least 20 friends right now. Scroll down our petition page for details of times and events to join in the massive wave of demonstrations happening around the world at Burmese and Chinese embassies.

With hope and determination,

Ricken, Paul,
Pascal, Graziela, Galit, Ben, Milena and the whole Avaaz Team

Pic taken from Burmese blogger's site here.

*Their last significant hit, it was on the charts in 1994, one of the many songs which kept me company while i was in London!