Words to Lyrics Ben Ho's observations from the cloud

31 December 2009

2009 to 2010

Filed under: Rant,Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 4:52 pm

What’s interesting is that at the start of every year, we say that the year ahead will be the best one has ever seen. It begins to wear off about 20 years after (you don’t see older people make such a claim do you?) but for now the statement still holds.

2009 has been a fantastic year. I’ve finished Year 12, that’s something. Next year begins the next step of many steps into this wide world of ours.

I’m not a fan of talking about the past. Although I do it often, looking back on it, it has been a very foolish act. Instead, now I will talk about the future more often.

I guess this is what many people do at this time, in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. (Mine will come tomorrow)

But for now, I’m here to tell you what I’ll be doing differently next year. It’s not a big thing, but it has a big impact.

Tell the truth.

Yes, it’s that simple. This past year, I’ve realised that in order to please others, the truth had to be manipulated in some way.

From now on, it’s the raw truth, whether you like it or not. It is undesirable to see a web of lies and cover-ups cloud one’s thoughts and judgement. It is undesirable for one to believe that everything is okay. Nothing is perfect, it shouldn’t be. After all, if the world was perfect, there would be nothing to make us think.

Obviously someone or something will be upset or disturbed by truth in any case. This is not a concern, because when such truth is divulged, it teaches one to deal with the consequence of the truth and to move on.

It is not right for someone to influence or dictate the direction of one’s thoughts or life. Everyone is unique and this is what preserves the diversity in society.

Thank you for reading my blog in 2009, and a Happy New Year to you all.

9 December 2009

An Illusionary Speech Night

Filed under: I Wonder,Reflection — Tags: , , , — Ben @ 11:35 am

Apologies for the lack of posts recently.

Last night was Barker’s speech night, and my last speech night.

Speech night has become known for the exhaustive prize list, Year 12 antics during the prize giving, and of course the Headmaster’s (herein referred to as K) speech.

What we have come to love about K’s speech is the length (purported to have been 40 minutes one year, but this year’s was 21 minutes long), the content (has ranged from famous men, to Canadian mountains), and the relevance to Barker ways (interpretations can vary). The evening and the day after speech night the intertubes are abuzz about the choice of subject, the relevancy and overall, whether the speech was good or not!

(For the record, this year’s speech was 21 minutes long which focused on three influential men: Galileo Galilei, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin and their perseverance to reach their goals. The relevance (as interpreted by some people) was questionable.)

Next on the list, Year 12 antics. This year’s Year 12 has been very supportive of each other, as was evident in the various call outs during the prize giving. Most memorable was Willo’s standing ovation, for his magnificent achievements. There were a few others, including the frenzied call out for Jono Chung’s prizes and Jono Mui’s additional handshake.

Now I’ll talk about why I’ve called this an Illusionary Speech Night (for Year 12s).

Firstly, the prize winners are selected on the performance in the school assessments which count for 50% of the final HSC mark. While these people are to be congratulated, and for some will represent what they achieved in the written Board of Studies exams, not everyone who wins on speech night will ‘win’ in their HSC results. To ‘win’ is to win in the relative sense, which means it is different for each person.

The real ‘prize’ will be one’s individual HSC results, which, at time of writing, will be released in one week. Only then will one know whether they have won or not.

Looking down the track, the real ‘prize’ will be the contribution one makes to this changing world. The real ‘prize’ will be the consequences, good or bad, of the path that one takes. The real ‘prize’ will be the satisfaction that you will have gained from making a difference, whether officially recognised or not.

It was good seeing you all again.

5 October 2009

Two More Pieces of Advice

Filed under: Forward Thinking,Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 9:23 pm

After writing the last post, I remembered that I had two more things to say.

1. Everyone is saying, “Make sure you thank your teachers for all the hard work they have done for you.” Well, the best way to thank them is to gain the best possible result in the HSC exams. They’ll be happy that their hard work has paid off, and you will be happy that you have a great result.

2. It’s almost a week since that wonderful last day of school. There are probably many thank you messages that you didn’t write on people’s shirts that morning. May I suggest that you hand-write letters to these people. I know I am…

All the best for HSC 2009.

2 October 2009

Last Day in Retrospect

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , — Ben @ 1:39 pm

This thought has been niggling me for the past day, and I wanted to get this off my chest.

So yesterday was the last day of school. The day began with a meet at Wahroonga Park, then a train ride to Waitara and finally a scooter ride from the station to school.

First off, I’d like to say that it was fantastic photographing you all. There are some great pictures of the most important day this year. It felt great documenting this wonderful day.

Second, I’m rather happy that this year’s celebrations didn’t produce any police cases, lawsuits and major injuries. Thinking about it, it was probably the best type of Year 12 celebration. At least we didn’t vandalise or damage school property or steal a car or something like that.  All we did was disrupt traffic for a very short time, and that’s the best possible outcome.

It’s not often that we get an opportunity to do something like this. So as every old saying goes, “Make the most of it.”

And we did.

30 September 2009

Last Day

Filed under: Forward Thinking,Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 9:29 pm

Tomorrow is my last day of high school.

Being at Barker for 10 years (since the beginning) is no mean feat. There have been so many fantastic experiences over the years. There have been so many friendships made, changed, and broken. There were the good times, and the bad times. And we’ve all been through it all. Together as one. As the Class of 2009.

Many of us have planned to do so much in these last few weeks. However in reality, only a fraction of these things have been done. For me, it is physically and mentally impossible to do what I had planned in the space of a week. There are so many people to thank, so many people to recognise and yes, so many people to hug.

Tomorrow will be filled with many emotions. I know that some of us, myself included, will get a bit teary. I think it’s normal though. School has made up a majority of our lives, in the grand scheme of things. It has dictated and directed many minutes of the days. It will be interesting to see how life progresses without this.

I still have so much more to say, but now I must rest.

28 August 2009

28 August…

Filed under: Reflection — Ben @ 9:22 pm

For those who don’t know: Last Thursday 27 August, a girl in Year 11 died whilst skiing at Perisher Valley yesterday. Please read this SMH article to understand what is written below. Tomorrow, I’ll write an analysis of today’s media coverage.

Today, we witnessed a tragedy, spirit and camaraderie. The events of today were attended by all, many with tears in their faces. Many of us didn’t know her personally, but we all shared the grief of today.

It is hard to comprehend something that is usually not associated with youth. Especially when it is so close to home.

This morning began with a memorial service, attended by Year 11 in the Chapel. Many who were there knew Amelia well. Many in Year 12 also knew her and remembered her elsewhere. Television and radio news media were outside the Chapel covering the service.

The first half of today was a time of remembrance; coming to terms with what had happened. Flowers lined the steps of the Chapel following the service. Flags flew at half mast, almost a grave symbol in itself. Many took the option of not taking class for part of the day.

By the afternoon the mood had lightened, but was still solemn, a party mix of lollies assisting. Most Year 11 and 12 students had gone home.

It is now evening, and Facebook statuses continue to pay tribute to what was a full, active life tragically cut short. Messages of support have also been passed on to friends and families down at Perisher Valley.

Rest in Peace, Amelia.

27 August 2009

Reflection Statement

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 11:03 pm

Tomorrow (Friday) is the deadline for HSC English Extension 2 major works. As part of their work, a reflection statement is written to, supposedly, ‘reflect’ on the major work they have composed. This week, the phrase has been uttered many times, in different ways, expressions and the like.

Given that Year 12 finish school in a matter of weeks, I took this phrase and thought, “What has been great about this part of my life?” I am, of course, referring to the last 12 months or so of high school.

I really want people to reflect on what has been great in the last year, in the last three years, or in my case, the last 10 years at Barker. The next few weeks, free of assessments and exams, are a great time to pause and reflect. There are other things we can think about too:

  • As above, your time in high school
  • Friendships and relationships
  • Contributions you have made to a group e.g. choir, rugby team, debating team
  • Personal achevements academically, socially, etc.

And also especially for you all:

  • Your sense of belonging over the past year
  • What you have done to change yours or others’ sense of belonging
  • Initiatives you have started to affect others’ belonging

I think that this a good way to realise what achievements you have made over the last year, and will give an insight into what lies ahead. Life sometimes throws too much at us. Everyone needs a way to release and understand what’s going on. This is just one way to do just that.

Happy reflecting!

21 August 2009

Here we are

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 9:55 am

Six weeks ago, many of us never thought that this day would come. For the last two weeks, I and everyone in year 12 have had trial examinations. These are the final school assessments before the HSC exams in October.  I must say, that even with all the hype surrounding Trial exams, everyone handled it quite well. As with the last exam period, I went around motivating everyone (and myself) to do the best we can. On the library wall, there is a poster that says:

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

For those who are wondering, yes, I put that up. I felt that it was rather witty concerning the last two weeks.

And now, we are all celebrating the end of these exams with drinks all round. I’m happy that everyone’s happy.

I’m also happy to say that a massive creative burst is on the table. You’ll see a lot more posts about lots of things very soon. Now, I’m celebrating.

30 July 2009

Phone in a jar.

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 10:33 pm

This afternoon, I put my iPhone in a glass jar. It was nothing special; I just thought it looked nice in a glass jar. While carrying this around the place, I encountered conversations that went a bit like this:

Someone: Why have you got your phone in a jar?
Me: Long story.

Some people were persistent enough to ask what the long story was. Here it is.

I have some tea leaves. I needed a glass jar for them. I brought this one on Tuesday, but I found a smaller one. Hence, I am taking this home today, and I thought the iPhone looked good inside.

After this long story, some of the responses were rather interesting. Some people commented it being a new style icon: “iPhone in a jar”. Some thought I was rather stupid. Here is the most interesting response.

Ok. Well, good luck with the glass jar!

Overall, a very interesting experiment.

20 July 2009

Optimism + recount

Filed under: Reflection — Tags: , , — Ben @ 11:17 pm

I’d like to talk today about optimism. I think it is great to be optimistic about what you do and think. Often it allows us to focus and forget about things that have passed. But how much optimism is too much? Is it unhealthy due to its ability to cover up our shortcomings?

I recently applied for a traineeship at a large accounting firm (who will not be named here). They put a large focus on hiring the right people i.e. spend a lot on their recruiting, finding those who fit their ‘core values’. Now, I got a fair way through this recruiting process, met a lot of great people, but today, I got a call from their one of their recruiting staff. I didn’t make it. It does take a great deal of guts to deliver bad news, even over the phone. Most would rather use email to do the same. After that call, thoughts were provoked. Should one start to be sceptical about what people say, especially when they speak from an overlooking perspective (such as from the viewpoint of a company)?

The recruit staff had told the candidates all the way, “Be yourself … accountants are people, they like to talk”. When I look back at the experience, it was a mistake to take their advice literally, part or whole. Everyone there is so competitive, so you have to change your behaviours to set yourself apart. I now realise what has been apparent for so long. Life is competitive. Enjoy the challenge, but don’t let it drag you down. Let each failure be a lesson for the future.

Was it also a mistake to be too optimistic? Did too much enthusiasm spoil my chances?

If anyone who I met from that particular traineeship is reading this, it was great to meet you, good luck for the future, I hope we meet again somewhere, someday.

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »