.....of children and children ......

(This adortable young one is fully concentrating on her masterpiece.)

Yours sincerely ( Y s) and the better half were invited to be judges at a Children Colouring Competition at Miriam Kindergarten. It has been quite sometime since we last stepped foot into a school and the excited noises that hovered around the atmosphere could be cringing to the ear drums. However, it was refreshing to be around so many lively, zestful and restless children. You sort of renew your hope in humanity. The world is still a beautiful place to procreate and multiply.

These joyful vanguards are too happy to pose for a shot together. Miriam Kindergarten caters more for the lower income group and it has a multi-racial enrolment. In the preschool education industry, it is sad to notice that the children are polarised from preschool until the universities. Very few kindergartens have multi-racial enrolment. Some are run strictly on religious basis, thus becoming very bigotrily exclusive and shutting other races or children of other faith away. Others cater for a certain socio-economic group and become exclusive through their hefty fees, expensive uniforms and other frills, elaborate once-a-year concerts and a long waiting list.

Innocence cuts across racial barriers and prejudices which are being constantly built and renovated by adults for their selfish gains. Martin Luther King, Jr aptly stated that " Hatred paralyses life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonises it. Hatred darkens life; love illuninates it."

Another participant deeply immersed in her work, oblivious to the distractions around.
The Chief Judge presented the first prize to the winner.
I had managed to control an assembly of about 1800 restless and loud mouthed adolescents at the weekly school assembly, but these noisy tiny tots are totally a different lot. They are very restless, easily distractive and hyper-active. It is nice to be there for a two or three-hour event but to work there day in and day out, you need to have a solid fore-bearing patience and be a bit deaf to the noise. The same thing with babies. Many people claim to adore babies but when the babies are just bathed, cleaned and powdered. Not when you smell something from the diapers or feel the dampness on their diapers!

Your better half presenting the second prize to a jubilent winner.
"I have finished my work. I am bored!!!"

The habit of chatting while working starts at a very young age, in the kindergarten. Some people learn to multi-task that way. "Yak...yak...yak....." while working.

This is a group photo of the winners.


This is another participant deeply immersed in her work.

Many retirees claim to have too much time at hands. Many run short of ways to kill time. Still many more kill time at coffee shops with buddies over "Yam Char" (tea drinking) for hours with peanuts and small talks. While everyone is free to do what one wishes, the generous sharing of time, and the giving away of time for honourable reasons and purposes go a long way to enrich one's retirement. Y s is not counting the years in his retirement but he is making the years count in his retirement. And who says that retirees rock on their chairs and stare at the ceiling and wall??? LOL


VIVA Life !!!