To dump or not to dump....

Today a student submitted his proposal of his ENG 511 Report Writing topic. The title ??......'BABY DUMPLING' ! ...hmmmmmmm.......should I approve it ?

Of course he meant 'Baby dumping' .... the mind boggles !!

So anyone for these dumplings ???

Those were the days ....

A dear friend sent these old photos of mine after having kept them for 28 years !!!

Miracles do happen ....

Last Friday, I came back from office, switched on the computer and.............no broadband. I was beginning to fear another weekend without my window to the world ! 

So went through the drill of contacting the provider , and went through the same routine of self-diagnosing, self-repair and whatnots with the help of the technician on the line ----and all came to NOTHING !

Then the usual process of making a report and a reminder that 'the technician will come  48 hour after a report has been made...blah blah blah !'  Then the oh-so-kindly-and-helpful words, ' Is there anything else we can do for you sir ?'........I mean what else can it be. I only called you because I had no broadband connection....and you have not and could not solved my problem.......so what else else would I want from you ??? Oh ...perhaps you could send me a large pizza or even a cup of tea ?

So, I just had to brace myself for a weekend of total photography ! Then on Saturday, at about 10.30 am , while doing my grocery , I received a call from the technician asking me if I could connect to the Internet. Rushing home, I switched on my computer and ....miracle of miracles.... I was connected.

Now that had been a drastic and pleasant surprise for me after almost decade of broadband use.  In the past , it would at least be two days or even more of waiting before they got it rectified - week-end or not...but not this time around.

Well, credits should be given when it is deserved and due and I say "thank you and well done' to my provider ! However on a more sombre note, perhaps the old theory that business competition will help the consumers is true......but I wouldn't take it away from them....Thank you again !

Oh, look at the moon....

Clouds and Clouds

Caught these while on the way to feed the cats..

❤ I'll find my way home ❤

You ask me where to begin
Am I so lost in my sin
You ask me where did I fall
I'll say I can't tell you when
But if my spirit is lost
How will I find what is near
Don't question I'm not alone
Somehow I'll find my way home

My sun shall rise in the east
So shall my heart be at peace
And if you're asking me when
I'll say it starts at the end
You know your will to be free
Is matched with love secretly
And talk will alter your prayer
Somehow you'll find you are there

Your friend is close by your side
And speaks in far ancient tongue
A season's wish will come true
All seasons begin with you
One world we all come from
One world we melt into one
Just hold my hand and we're there
Somehow we're going somewhere
Somehow we're going somewhere

You ask me where to begin
Am I so lost in my sin
You ask me where did I fall
I'll say I can't tell you when
But if my spirit is strong
I know it can't be long
No questions I'm not alone
Somehow I'll find my way home
Somehow I'll find my way home
Somehow I'll find my way home
Somehow I'll find my way home

Good wishes !

A crystal ball in the sky !

Took this tonight and didn't have to go far either ! Just in the garden !

Morning shots

Presentation tips....

This is that time of the semester again. Presentations, presentations and more presentations ! To everyone involved I hope this would be useful. These tips are only meant to be your guide, not the answer !

PRESENTATION TIPS

1.Keep the presentation style simple and clean.

2.No more than five bullet points per slide. They should all be  equally spaced apart.

3.Write your script THEN prepare the slides to back it up. This way it's easier to prepare slides that support your presentation rather than the slides becoming the presentation.

4.Each time you display a new slide, stop talking and allow a few moments for your audience to absorb the content BEFORE you say a word. When you start to speak they will be ready to listen to you, you will not be competing with the slide for their attention..

5.Never read directly from the slides and never talk to the slides.

6. Face your audience when you  speak.

7.Check the qualities of your slides.

·        Can it be read clearly from the back of a room?

·         Do the colours work as well when it's projected?

·         Does the presentation work well in all lighting conditions?

·        Are my slide TOO ‘WORDY’ ! ( too much words)

8.Do not be controlled by the number of slides but rather work on the time allowed for you to do you presentation. ( in this case 8-10 minutes)

9.‘Budget’ the time allocated to you .  If you have 10 minutes for example:-

• Introduction 10% of 10 minutes
• Content  60% of 10 minutes
• Conclusion/recommendation 30%
•  

10.Position yourself at the side so that you can command a view from the screen to the audience just by turning you head, NOT your body! 

11.NEVER speak in a boring monotone! Make suitable adjustment to your voice volume according to the size of the audience and room. 

12.Keep eye-contact with your audience. ( Forget about the old theory of looking at the back wall if you’re nervous….that do not work anymore !!!!)

13. Practice your presentation. Concentrate on your first couple of minutes when you are at your most nervous stage. Then work on your ending, as the first and the last impressions are equally important. 

14. Get a friend to proof-read your slides ! 

15. FINALLY, THE BEST WAY TO OVERCOME NERVOUSNESS IS TO BE WELL-PREPARED !!! 

ps. If you have other tips and suggestion , feel free to write in the comments !

Patterns by design....

Sat by the window of room 01-09 while waiting for the students to turn up.....and these caught my eye !

That kingfisher again !!!!

In-class shots !

A model shot..

'here's a weird one...

two more...

'Hey...leave me and my water-lily bud alone..'

I'm still around.

Yes...I've been missing for sometime and I have received messages and smses asking where I've been. No, I'm not giving excuses. But with 26 teaching hrs a week and with two classes of 5- odd students.... its riduculously difficult. So I have been more active with the FB because its more of a hit-and-run sort of relationship with that network.  But , my photography goes on.....if anything I have stepped it up. I'll start by posting these three.

Oh no ! My computer's screwed up. I couldn't use Mozilla or Opera, ONLY Explorer. Tried to upload the photos, and it just wouldn't. Damn virus ! Looks like reformatting time !