What a Different Life, 2010 to 2015

Stepping down on the granite pavement, breathing the air that smells of a mixture of smoke, staleness and progression. I walked through Penn Station, waiting for time to pass as I wait for an exchange student that I met in university. Meeting him was not a big deal. Having experience the change in thoughts and relationship was.

We never were close. But we constantly updated each other about life…until about 1.5 years ago. See, he didn’t know that I was in Boston, neither did I know he was in New York until it popped up on LinkedIn. It was a strange and awkward conversation. We talked about the differences in culture, Singapore, US, Canada, fin tech startups, a little about studies. But the conversation did not, could not, take a deeper level. I am not sure what I am into now, or what conversations will excite me. But having relationships that I am comfortable with such as those I have with Rufina Park and Sarah Tan come by few and rare. The surprise is the latter, as we have very different personalities and values. Perhaps there has been a convergence over the years and help us stick together.

I was and still am excited to meet Wang Bin, my friend who studied in Wuhan University before. Hugs, mutual kisses, pleasant generosities, staying at her place...I could not ask for more. Marriage, life, studies, culture…the conversations seem to revolve around these. Updating each other about life, I wonder whether our conversations were any different few years ago. The virtual barriers of doing things out of social bounds seem unacceptable to her heart, yet mutual pleasantries and hopefully a deep love for one another binds us beyond societal expectations.

I look forward to the next day when I can catch up (on work and in my thoughts) and be real. 

Reduce in Number of Layers

This post is long overdue.

As I wrap up my final paper for the semester, it hadn't sunk in me yet. Graduate school is completed. My mind rushes on to the next thing to do, but there was none. I wondered where the writing assignments were. I did not have the veracity to believe that there was none.

I prepared to go to school for a talk. At least, I could do something. I could be active. I could bring a sense of purpose to my being here.

Yet, I felt a nudge in my heart. I felt God telling me that I have been so busy all this while, that perhaps it is time to rest. Perhaps this is unfulfilled nudge within me that prevents me from being happy about my constant stream of Asia Leadership stuff.

I have to get my life organised again, so I turned to Evernote to make a to-do list. And one of them was to clear my log of uncompleted posts.

This is one of them.

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March 11th

I could not remember the details. It had been 2 months and 4 days since this picture was taken. The picture showed snow on two sides of the pavement and water puddles in the small potholes in the pavement. It had been two months of dry and peeling skin, black, thick jackets and layers (and I do mean layers) of pants.

For the first time in these two painstakingly chilly months, I was wearing only one (or many none) inner leggings. My legs felt naked without those layers. I could feel my leg hair brush against my pants. The liberation felt on my legs were also felt in my heart, bringing a smile to my face.

I was walking from the law school gym - Hemenway Gym - to the education school. The picture says so. I have experienced the warmness on my face for the past few hours since I made the deliberate decision to dress 'down' for my day. But it was at this moment when the scene captured me - snow still on the bank on the pavements, water puddles forming on the pavements, trees still bare but seeing signs of fruition, the Sun coming out and warming the Earth, brightness and darkness together yet brightness dominated.

It was the end of a long and cold winter. Hello Spring!

[Update: Or so I thought...it was snowing again on April 1st, when I was in Taiwan.]

Teaching and Resting

This marks the turning point in my life. And I want to mark it. I want to remember it.

I have ended graduate school, but I'm still busy. I'm busy preparing for a workshop.

And through this, I learned: that teaching is not just about knowledge. It's about delivery. I have to get out of the mode of delivering content. But engaging in content. I watched lectures such as Monica Higgin's Case Study Master Class. I watched Wiggin's lecture on student's misconception and transfer deficit. All inspiring things to spur me to make students learn better.

Oh Lord. I need a break after this. Please give it to me. If not physically, then in my heart.