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Shane's Wish

Shane is a 7-year-old boy from Ontario who is battling leukemia. In midst of his battle against this hideous disease he has a wish: to receive as many birthday cards as possible. His birthday is coming up on May 30th. Would you be willing to help?

Please spread the word around.

Thanks for B.D. for informing me of this very important message.

This has been one of the toughest weeks I have EVER had at school. All week long I had meetings, and almost every single meeting made me increasingly dejected, frustrated, angry, hopeless, and discouraged. How the bureaucrats can operate is just beyond me.

My mood was at an all-time low when I attended the Dignity of Life Fundraiser on Thursday. I really would not have gone, given how swamped I was with work, and how discouraged I was feeling. But it was something I had promised to attend, and, as my gf said, I always try to find time to support causes like this, so I mustered my last ounce of energy to go.

And was I ever empowered by the event. Students from the Leo Club, the chefs from the culinary arts program, and the various others who were involved in the organization of the event, pulled together a great night. The nine different types of ethnic foods were great, but the sometimes disturbing stories I could read about how human dignities could be stripped in other places in the world were better in touching my heart, reminding that me that we still are a very blessed bunch.

What was greatest was the pure heart and dedication the students showed for this cause. The Tindzaleni Primary School in South Africa had received $5500 from our fundraising efforts from last year already. It would be easy, and maybe even logical, to say that we had done what we could. We could move on - after all, there are millions of projects like this one that could use our help. But the students showed their heart, empathy, perseverance, and love in continuing the work that they had started, working hard to finish a mission they had started but had yet to finish. Watching the students run around co-ordinating things, each doing their little part… really reminded me of something that was lost this week in those cut-throat meetings.

As I spoke to many of my colleagues that night, I really needed this. I just needed to be reminded of why I am here, and what gives me the greatest satisfaction. It's not to teach someone so he/she can score 100% on an exam; it's not to out-wrestle someone in getting "my way" over "your way;" it's not even paving someone's way to allow him/her to become financially successful. I just hope I can inspire and encourage someone to be a good person, to be someone who is kind to others, who treats others as he/she wants to be treated, and who puts the needs of others above his/her own needs first. This night, I saw all of that, and though I cannot say I am a part in teaching them any of these values, I can say that I am so glad I was a part of that.

Thank you!

3 months and 25 days later, it is done!

Yes, almost 120 days after the first accident, I was discharged today from my physiotherapy treatment. The physiotherapist, Uncle K., checked my body today, to ensure that my spine was aligned properly to my neck and my hip. He also confirmed that my range of motion is pretty well back to pre-accident status, and though I still suffer periodically from muscles spasms because I haven’t gotten back my muscular strength, the treatment is officially completed, and I am discharged!

Of course, the road of rehabilitation is still ongoing. I now have to continue the rehab exercise at home for another month, get one more check-up to ensure that I am okay, and then, it is another three to twelve months of home rehab exercises before I have any chance of being "completely healed." But medically speaking, I am one month away from a full recovery.

Because the accident involves an insurance claim, I had to do a functional test so the clinic would have some data to report back to the insurance company. Monitoring this last test today, coincidentally, was R., who was on his first day of work when I had to do my first functional test. When I reminded him of this, we both had a big laugh.

R. is one of the three kinesiologists who had worked closely with me these four months. In addition to the tall and shy R., there is the petite and cute H.Y., and my super coach, the very cool, big sister J.L., who oversaw my entire six-week active exercise program. Normally, they would not be working on the same day, but again, what a coincidence, they all were at the clinic today because both H.Y. and J.L. had to help other clients with their active exercise program. This gave me a chance to thank each and everyone of them individually. H.Y. even joked with me, saying that, "Now that you have recovered, don't come back here ever again." What can I say about them? They are just so good at what they do. They taught me very patiently how to do each rehab exercise, and kept me company during the gruelling hours of bench-pressing, lat pulling, and exercise-balling... I owe them a great deal for being able to recover from my injuries relatively quickly.

The kinesiologists are not the only ones to thank. All the staff at the front desk who helped me schedule for my appointments, "Auntie King" who, really, is the king of the clinic, and of course, the ever-humourous, ever-knowledgeable physiotherapist, Uncle K.... Perhaps you can say they are all just doing their job. But, they are doing their jobs so well that they deserve extra props.

These four months have gone by pretty quickly, and pretty happily too. No one ever plans to be involved in a motor vehicle accident (and definitely not two in twenty days like me); when it happens, most would react by saying that it's a bummer that something like this would happen. But, to me, this accident and injury, really, has not been a curse, but rather, a blessing, and only a blessing. Not only am I shown the love and care by my family, friends, brothers and sisters, but I was given the best care by everyone at the clinic. Today, I have recovered, but it is also the time to say goodbye to these friends. I don’t know what else to say, except that I am forever grateful and thankful for all that you have done.

THANK YOU!

In light of the passing of the Hastings Elementary student teacher, who died tragically while vacationing in Chile I had a few thoughts:

The grade 8s were called to a special meeting yesterday to be told of the news. Staff were then asked to come to a special staff meeting be told of the same news. As I was walking towards the drama studio, I saw many crying faces, the same faces who are normally cheerful and care-free - I knew why they were crying because I have already learned the news before that staff meeting, but the scene was still very difficult for me to handle.

When I returned to my room after the meeting, I began to think: if I die suddenly one day and the principal has to deliver the news to the school, what would the reaction be? What legacy would I have left behind?

Am I going to be remembered for the way I joke with some of you? Am I going to be remembered for my ability/inability to teach? Am I going to be remembered as a caring person? A mean person? An honest person? A hypocrite? What am I going to be remembered for?

And what about you? What is your legacy should your life be ending tomorrow? And if you have a choice, how would you like to be remembered? Do you want to be remembered as a straight-A student? Do you want to be remembered as the person who can actually get a perfect score on a calculus test? Or, do you want to be remembered as a friend who will always be there to listen (even if you would never know what to do), a loving person who is willing to laugh and cry along with those who need the laughs or the tears? When death nears, it is surprising how our priorities would suddenly become all different, don't you think?

I know, I know. Death seems to be very far from most of you. But don't be too sure about that. I have volunteered at B.C.'s Children's Hospital for four years, and I can tell you - death is nearer to a lot of us than you think. I can say with all honesty that, some of the kids who I used to visit are definitely not alive today. I am the "old man" among them, so why should I be alive while they are not? Because death can strike anyone, any time.

So what kind of a legacy do you want to leave behind?

The following features an e-card that shows a video clip of the little hero, Nok-nok

Video clip and e-card

The following is the text portion which showcases the life of Nok-nok (2000 - 2005)

Life of Nok-nok

I read about this from the Xanga of my former producer, and want to share it with you.

My producer was working on a feature about the local musicians in Vancouver, and he wanted to interview this young lady who was publishing her music on the Net. He went to her website, and saw that there were a lot of messages for her. He left a message explaining what he wanted, but did not receive any return call.

Later on, he went back to her site, only to find out the reason why no one was replying, and how there were so many messages left on her site was because - the musician had already passed away. The messages were from her students, from those who supported her, and so on.

You have probably heard about the young 28-year-old Taiwanese actress who died tragically in a car accident a few days ago. For those of you who had older siblings that went to our school years ago, you may know the name Josh Sit, who died in a car accident in his grade twelve year. And for those who are more recent students here, you should remember the tragic slaying of Lee Matasi...

Look at those people around you. They are here today, but will they be gone tomorrow? This brings me back to the lyrics of a song:

Your life, my life, here today, gone tomorrow. Who is there to guarantee that we will have a tomorrow? If your life or my life is going to end tomorrow, will you leave behind any regrets? Would you forget to say sorry to that friend you have offended? Would you be too afraid to say "I love you" to that special someone just one more time? Would you fight with your parents over them nagging you to go to bed just a little sooner? Would you have remembered to find out the meaning of life?

Socrates once said that a life not examined, is not a life worth living. Have you examined your life lately? Live with no regrets.