accept what you want and what you get
Thursday, May 18
well this is the second of the 3 big events which changed my way thinking, which happened to me this week. today, and REALLY today, mrs vijay came in and asked to see samuel, kenneth, adriel and me. reason? she was nominating us for the 'friend of singa award' haha. and kenneth was like making jokes the whole time. "but mrs vijay, i dont even know who singa is, how can i be his friend?" haha how lame. the name of the award that is. but then after samuel asked what is was for, he started going overboard.
first of all, let me tell you mrs vijay's answer. "o this is an award for people that are generally well mannered, are helpful to teachers, peers and all those kind of good qualities. i actually wanted more nominations but since i was only allowed 4, i got you people."
kenneth clearly didnt think before speaking. he said, "but mrs vijay, i dont deserve this, why dont you give it to someone else like jie jun?" he was clearly happy about this, as he was smiling widely, i'm sure he was being humble, and didnt want to seem like a stuck up git. but disagreeing a compliment is just about the worst thing you can do. then he continued on, "im the most disorganised and meanest guy you could ever meet!" well of course mrs vijay had say something. thank goodness she didnt do what others might have done in other situations. so her reply, and a reasonable one too, was, "well all the teachers and i all wanted you, so you have been nominated."
the next sentence was a total surprise for me. i thought he would have said enough by now! "what? why did the teachers nominate me? i'm not that good! i mean im the meanest guy on the planet."
well this is exactly what we do in other situations. this time i only have one reference. a few weeks ago, a pastor in my church told us a recount. he was overseas in his friend's house, and she had just fnished baking a cake. the fragrance was tempting. he deeply desired a slice. he was busting to ask for a piece and could already picture himself tucking in to the cake. but when his friend asked him whether he would like a slice, he said 'no', expecting her to ask again, as typical singaporeans do. however, his friend just accepted it and just put the cake away. he was so shocked. so he went through the rest of the time without the cake which he had wanted to much.
so if you want something and you are offered it, dont be afraid to accept it. that applies to compliments too. of course, you dont wanna say, "oh yes, i always knew that i was like this," or any kind of self-flattering comment. so you dont seem conceited, and you get what you want, and something that somebody is willing to offer.
AMEN;
10:26 pm
