Also....

Forget to mention, I did very well at my first Latin assignment.....woohoo!!   Tomorrow (Christmas Eve) we are having a Mongolian Hotpot dinner with my cousin John and his family.    Can't wait!!   The second in two weeks!   (I'm so lucky  - the last time I had it was over 15 years ago.  My dad used to make M. hotpots al the time)..it's a Chinese get-together type of thing...  (More info).

Christmas is here

So , here I am putting the final touches to the preparations for Christmas day....just hope it is all worth it.
I did some sums and between my partner and I , we have spent an equivalent of a week's holiday in expenses for Christmas gifts, food, drinks.  I KNOW it will be worth it, to see the look on my son's face when he opens the presents.    It seems year after year, there is always more people to buy for.  Of course Christmas isn't just about the presents.   It is about family, spending time together, being nice, catching up  plus lots more...

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!

Swot not?!

Finally, I think I have mastered the interrogative pronouns/adjectives I've been learning all fortnight, and am now moving onto 3rd/4th conjugation verbs.  I've never been so committed to my studies as I am now...in fact it is a joy to learn grammar and consolidate all that Latin vocabulary.
Andrew's parents are coming up for their weekly visit tonight;  they spent 6 days in Glasgow, Scotland & came home on Monday.  My other half and I have visited this city three times since 2006.   There is a cool shopping street there called Sauchiehall Street, which is in close proximity to the Buchanan Galleries, considered to be the best shopping centre in Glasgow.  
Snow is forecast for the next few days, hope it's not too heavy though....

                                  Here is our tree

And our poinsettia.... 

Dominus regit me ....

I now know the meaning of the phrase 'Dominus regit me' after so many weeks of learning Latin.  I almost couldn't believe my ears when I heard that some of my co-students were already attempting to translate parts of the bible...gosh, ( I think to myself) now that would definitely be a challenge.  Turns out it means 'The Lord is my shepherd'  -  one of  the most famous verses in existence from Psalm 23. 
I was having a little difficulty with the interrogative pronouns/adjectives as I could not distinguish between the various forms of 'who?' or 'what?'...but after seeking help from my tutor it is a little less daunting.
And dear readers, I hope all this talk about Latin does not send you to boredom city....

Really, I do need to speed up my search for my next module with the OU. Should I do the level 3 'Mises au point' French or continue with the Latin ? Only thing is the 'Continuing Latin' module contains more literature-based study which I must admit is not my strong point!     But then again, I did pass all the assignments that tested my literature knowledge in my past studies at uni.    My essay-writing skills are a bit rusty I have to say....

A thought just popped into my head - quite peculiar actually. I used to have a crush on Hong Kong movie star Canti Lau (Lau Shek Ming) where is he now?!    I had friends in Hong Kong that belonged to his fan club and whenever he was out filming on location or doing functions, my friend Fiona used to take volumes of pictures for me.    The last time I heard she'd moved to Sydney in Australia.  I wonder if she still remembers
me?   

Life is funny sometimes - things seem to go round in circles or a pattern of repetition, like the seasons, like the tide.   That's the feeling I get from listening to Helene Segara's number 'Je vous aime adieu', it's a song that reminds me of breezy summer days (feel free to listen to it on my 'French related' blog http://www.cannyfrancophile.blogspot.com/ ).

These days I alternate between childcare responsibilities/study/shopping/crafts, although not necessarily in that order - I couldn't sleep and my computer was calling me to write.   My cousin John was supposed to call up with a toy car for Ryan tonight, perhaps he had to work overtime?    He's a busy lad though.  His daughter Eta is doing well in P.1, she has the looks of a real China doll, really pretty face on her.   She could pass for being a child model.     Lucy the hamster is chewing away at her nibbles - it's amazing how you can hear everything once the night is still and quiet.

I know I have come a long way in terms of my own psychological 'growth', I loved to read and I still do, nothing can take me away from my books.  What books do you like to read ?   And who is your favourite author/authoress?

On Saturday past there, my son , his daddy and I went to see the Christmas tree lights being switched on in the neighbouring village, well we TRIED to.  I'd parked my car in a space where there was a clamping warning sign, not wise I know but everywhere else was full.    As a result we only hung about for 25 minutes and not for an hour.   My son was happy nevertheless as he'd got himself a 'nice' machine gun 'toy', we don't believe in guns really even if they are only toys - but I'd rather he had the toy or else there would've been a screaming match in front of 120 people.         Some would say I need to assert myself as a parent, but I don't think I am a 'bad' parent.    As Lousie Hay once said, forgive your parents because they were only doing their 'best', so I tell myself I am also doing the best.    Self encouragement is big in my book, it makes sense, I learnt to be 'gentle' with self talk to myself after years of reading self help psychology books.  Perhaps I talk too much though??!!

Winter is here!

I woke up today to a bitter cold morning. Thought I'd cracked my windscreen whilst trying to remove the ice, but thankfully I didn't....
I applied for a job with Royal Mail today -  I'm gonna register at the agency in town tomorrow - and have got to take a Royal Mail test  -wish me luck !!  (Really am optimistic about getting it, even though the girl told me 200 candidates have applied so far)....

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I am reading a novel called The Last Samurai by Helen De Witt (see left); normally I'm not one for  novels but this work by De Witt is very captivating, and has renewed my interest in reading.    Highly recommend this book!

5 reasons why we should be more compassionate as a race....

• Ever hear of the phrase 'Today, give a stranger one of your smiles, it might be the only sunshine he sees all day long'?   - Well, I believe in it strongly.  I truly do.    I know what some of you are thinking, perhaps you have some grievances of your own....the last thing you wanna do is smile at a stranger - but, compassion and love are qualities that need to be cultivated in one's life in order to achieve inner peace.
• Being kind and considerate doesn't cost a penny (or cent).
• Thoughts are like a magnet - this theory in the 'self help psychology' department has become an important point.  When I was a lot younger the American authoress Louise Hay (of the famous book 'You can heal your life') influenced my life and saved me from the darkest depths of depression...her theory is simple, if you think happy thoughts, you have more chance of being happy, if you think dishonest thoughts, then you will not acheive real honesty in life and so on.  So, in a nutshell your thoughts will come back to you like a boomerang!
• We are all equal...yet different. We are all like counterparts of huge gigantic kaleidoscope.  So, everybody has their own unique qualities.  (Lousie Hay's books radiate love and I highly recommend her works to anybody who is in need of  any form of 'healing').  What I'm saying is...do we really gain anything by judging people?
• I dislike violence/crime/war of any sort.    I grew up seeing my parents go through an unhappy marriage and often domestic violence was a problem.  And, it disturbs me greatly to see such suffering in the world. Why can't we all get along?  World peace can become reality if we believe in it enough, in fact anything is possible!..Therefore becoming more compassionate should be compulsory for everybody.

What do you think of these ideas?

My living space....

The entrance hall (I think the scroll means something like 'thousands & thousands of good fortune wishes'or something like that,if anybody knows the exact translation, I'd love to know!)                 

                                                                                                                                            

Sunset near my home

We went for a walk down by Belfast Lough last night; as you can see the sunset is lovely.

It was quite a pleasant night; Ryan enjoyed the kid's park.

                                                                
I love to take pictures, it's like an addiction for me.
I don't often feel the urge to be snap happy, but when I do, it's a perfect way of expressing myself.

Saturday tutorial & Christmas memories....

I will be attending the Latin day school (for my OU course) for two hours on Saturday and am actually glad to say...I am rather looking forward to it.    However I just don't hope it's just myself who's going as I have been following the Latin Forum online and it seems I am the only one who is doing it in N.Ireland (well, who has posted on the forum anyway)

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I bought a Christmas tree at the weekend.
I LOVE Christmas....that magical time of the year - can't wait 'til it comes, Andrew says I'm a kid and I don't deny that I'm a big kid at heart.   And, why not?

My lunch today......

Click here for more info

 Well, an example of this anyway. 

I treated myself to mouthwatering siu mai dumplings (very popular and generally made from shrimps, mushrooms and pork), scrumptious lo mai gai (click here for info), squid with garlic sauce and more!

Believe in yourself!

“Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, & always, always, always believe in yourself. Because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high. Keep your chin up, & most importantly, keep smiling. Because life’s a beautiful thing & there’s so much more to smile about.”

A new month, a fresh start!

My Open University course in Latin I must say is pretty challenging....I have mastered the 1st and 2nd Declension nouns (grammar) and now tackling the 3rd.   The course started on the 2nd October and it gives you two weeks to do the first section , all of which I have completed four days ago. Speedy Gonzalez?  Yep, that's me. (But, I know I gotta be careful I am not doing too much too soon, yet my only worry is not being able to memorise all the essential vocabulary on time). Being able to pace myself and learning by the method 'little and often' is the key to success.

My youngest sister has been going out steadily with a guy for about six months now;  I have never seen her so happy.  It must be love.     He is in fact an expert in archery and is currently taking part in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.    I must say the opening ceremony of the 2010 Games looked spectacular from what I saw of it on the news.  I think he is very lucky because he returns next Tuesday and plans to visit the Taj Mahal before departure from India - I'm envious!  

Agenda for this Friday : Chinese dim sum lunch with my sis - really should be getting my hair cut this week, but it can wait a while.    My sister dyed her hair black for a change from blonde, I jokingly told her she looks like a 'goth'.

I accompanied my sister Diana on her shopping trip to get her son, wee Peter's birthday presents today , he will be 8 in two days time. I bumped into an old friend of my dad's - she's called 'Ah Len' and is from the same village as my parents came from (in Hong Kong - Hakka speaking)  and I had a good lengthy chat with her and she revealed a few interesting facts to me. She remembered when my dad was healthy many years ago, he used to bring me to visit his friends' in the many businesses that existed in N.Ireland. She told me my dad adored and doted on me.   It was touching to know that, especially as now my dad can't speak or express himself.     Meeting her was like 'going back to my roots', I still had the linguistic ability in me.   (Just like you never forget learning to ride a bicycle!)              
Anyway, sorry for going off topic there.  At such a young age, my nephew already has a Nintendo DS, a PsP (thingy) and was asking for an X Box recently. We were never as privileged when we were younger.    I suppose the mass bombardment of constant televised advertisements doesn't help towards minimising a culture of 'see it, want it, have it'. I personally am guilty of this habit. Most recently, my shopping habits need to be curtailed.   My main weakness is clothes!!   Especially lace & black tops.   ( I hope I'M not turning into a goth!!!)       Continuing on the subject of tv adverts, my son always says to me during the ad break between Fireman Sam episodes, 'mummy can I have that? And, this ?'....it can't be good and I guess it encourages greed, not charity.

Wow time flies....

It's been nearly a year since I started taking my blog seriously.
Nine months since I had a compelling urge to write down all my random thoughts, innermost musings...I still consider myself a novice at it actually.   Looking back, I don't think I've done too badly...

The 29th August 2010 was my dear dad's 64th birthday.  It has become more and more difficult for me to visit him - not that I have lack of transport or anything like that.   Well, my mum rang me on my dad's birthday and asked me if I would like a lift to see him.  I really felt the resistance coming up in me...and tears welled up in my eyes.  It really is hard to explain how hard it is to cope with seeing a loved one like the way my dad is; bed bound and unable to see, speak or take food properly.  To say it is heartbreaking is an understatement.   But I took courage, and went to see him.  After all he is my dad.

I believe that God is by my side at such difficult times.   The 'Footprints In The Sand' verse is my favourite of all time (Click here)  This poem uplifts me at times of anxiety and I know that I'm not alone

Ryan's first day at school - 31st August 2010

Ryan started Primary School on Tuesday 31st August;  his teacher is Miss McDonald.

I was so proud of him!