So many different colours existing in harmony with each other. Great that you are having fun

Trust me. It takes forever for my wife to get ready to go out 😱

Good point. Japanese people save a large proportion of their income because of the perpetual low economic growth situation

You intrigue me

Happiness Journal 29/5/25

Final lesson with my form class. The bell rang. The students stood. In one voice, they bellowed “Thank you, Mr H” at the top of their lungs. A formulaic farewell turned into a poignant salutation. 1.5 years of togetherness culminating into an end.

I will miss them.

This sends me the chills.

Thank goodness you are all right!

It’s ugly. My wife would be super pissed off at such shoddy work.

It isn’t possible to overlay the piping or something?

@SimpleStacker enlightened me recently about just how astronomical the costs of living in the States are

Understatement of the year

Thank you. I graciously accept your fine praise and seek to do better

I think the Boomer generation wasn’t necessarily informed about a lot of things. Hence, it is up to us Gen X and Y to be mindful not to perpetuate misguided practices.

Hugs to you!

They wrote it under exam conditions and we kept their phones first thing in the morning. I was also their invigilator and trust myself to keep cheaters at bay.

Also, because they wrote like this:

That’s a nice idea. In my country, some people sell coffee in their homes.

You could probably start by selling coffee to your friends or customers. Just a small step to keep your dream alive.

I am working on getting my blog off the ground so that people would think of me as a book influencer and travel junkie. Since I’m a civil servant, I obviously cannot moonlight, but getting free books and experiences would be nice

Ten reasons why I enjoy teaching at NorthLight

I practise empathy; I put myself in the shoes of my students and imagine how they can best marshal their limited resources to put on a valiant figure. I conduct the Memory Palace before teaching any writing - they must lock the steps in their minds. I spoonfeed them with suitable collocations - their minds are empty like the desert and must be watered. I give them deliberate practices in class - they must apply the steps until they become second nature. And hopefully, their writing flows like a steady river.

Success doesn’t come for every student. Some of them will still fail despite my best efforts because old habits die hard. However, others will manage to pull almost everything together, showcasing writing that makes me gasp in disbelief.

Because beneath the spelling errors and run-on sentences lie students with unique individual voices. Who have tried their level best to reveal parts of themselves and be authentic? They make me like teaching writing more.

Excellent questions on her part. And kudos to you for documenting it. I’m sure this will bring back a treasure trove of memories when the two of you read this again years down the road!

He’s already feeling the heat. He remarked, “Oh I lose to her.”

Like you, I sometimes struggle with the idea of being a parent. But last night was pure joy! 🤩 haha

I have a feeling my daughter will get out of diapers before her brother. Haha. Quite exciting to witness if so

IYKYK.

Only a fellow parent will relate

Not unthinkable!

I learnt Italian via Japanese from a funny Italian who speaks fluent Japanese. I still remember my classmates and I went out for a pizza dinner with him once haha

A 🖕 to existing!

I wrote this in my foolhardy 20s. Two decades later (and having witnessed my contemporaries rise up the corporate ladder and take on managerial roles), I think back about what I wrote back then - “danced to his tune and loved it”. Writing is like casting something in stone at a particular point in time. It serves as a great reminder of the person I was back then