My Favourite Children's Book

Dear Students,

I must apologize for not updating my blog earlier. I've been pretty busy for the past two weeks. We moved to a new apartment and before moving, we were busy packing and then we had to move and unpack. It was very tiring even though we just moved to the next block. I like my new apartment. It's bigger and more spacious. Will put up pictures when I finally clear my mess at home! Happy loves her new home too. She loves running up and down and playing in the bigger space.

I want to share with you my favourite children's storybook, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Last Thursday, class 5C did a wonderful job telling you the story. Just in case, if you missed the story or could not hear the story, here is the story.

Once there was a tree......and she loved a little boy. And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree....very much. And the tree was happy.

But time went by. And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat from apples and play in my shade and be happy."

"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy. "I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money. Can you give me some money?"

"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money. I only have leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. Then you will have money and you will be happy."

And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time......and the tree was sad. And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy."

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy. "I want a house to keep me warm," he said. "I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. Can you give me a house?"

"I have no house," said the tree. "The forest is my house, but you may cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house. And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.

"Come, Boy," she whispered, "come and play,"
"I am too old and sad to play," said the boy. "I want a boat that will take me far away from here. Can you give me a boat?"

"Cut down my trunk and make a boat," said the tree. "Then you can sail away.......and be happy."

And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. And the tree was happy.....but not really.

And after a long time the boy came back again. "I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I've nothing left to give you - My apples are gone."

"My teeth are too weak for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them -"
"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb -"
"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree. "I wish that I could give you something......but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry....."

"I don't need very much now," said the boy, just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired."

"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, "well, am old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did. And the tree was happy.

The End.

Have a look at this website too if you have time. What does this story remind you of? What lesson did you learn from this story? Write and tell me. I learnt that sometimes having lots of money and things may not make a person happy.

Why I Do Not Celebrate Halloween

Dear Students,

Last Friday was Halloween. Some of you came up to me and said, 'Trick or Treat', and my reply was that I don't celebrate Halloween. I didn't have time to explain my reasons to you. On Friday evening, I met some of you when I brought my dog, Happy, for a walk. I was pleased that most of you were not shy to come up to me. All of you spoke very fluently in English. Even my husband was surprised that all of you spoke so well.

When I was around your age, I've always wanted to celebrate Halloween and I even wanted to have a Halloween birthday party since my birthday is just one day before Halloween but my parents never once allowed me to have a Halloween birthday party. As I went to Sunday School and church, I learnt more and understood why my parents made that decision.

I'm going to explain my view on Halloween as simple as possible. Some believed that Halloween started in Rome many many years ago when the Romans prayed to the dead. I do not believe in praying to the dead as it is very clear in the bible that God commanded us not to have any other gods other than Him and never to worship anyone else than Him. To me, that is an important point.

Trick or Treat came from tricks that were played by witches and wizards. This was done especially for those who believe in black magic. The word treat came from witches and wizards promising people that they will be rich if they donated to them. This happened many, many years ago. I do not believe in witches or wizards. In my point of view and from what I understand from the bible, these things do not make God happy but rather it makes Satan which is the devil happy as one would seem to be worshipping him.

During Halloween, there are many people that dress up as devils, witches and scary people. This does not make God happy as it seems that people want to imitate the devil with their devilish behaviour and scary dressings. When I think of this, it makes me wonder how can I be obedient towards God if I'm dressing up as His enemy.

So students, these are my reasons why I do not celebrate Halloween. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to explain to some of you earlier. I hope that you are able to understand my reasons now. If you want to read further, these are a few websites. Some of the words in these websites maybe difficult but check the dictionary, ask your parents or even me if there are bits in the website that you don't understand. Read and tell my your opinions.

A Christian's Perspective of Halloween
Halloween What is it from a Christian?
Why We Don't Celebrate Halloween?

Pets

Dear Students,

Do you have pets at home? When I was young, I think, when I was in primary school, I had many pets at home. Lots of them. I had a dog, many hamsters, two white mice, lots of fish in the tank, two turtles, two rabbits, two guinea pigs, a bird and I can't remember what else I had. I loved pets when I was young. Then as I grew up, some of my pets died and I got new pets. I had a dog in Singapore before I moved to Hong Kong. Her name is Hobbit. We wanted to bring her to Hong Kong after we settle down. But my mother loves Hobbit too much so she didn't let us bring her here. So we bought another dog, Happy.

Pets are part of the family. We must take care of our pets. You know, when you're hungry, you can go and get food to eat. But when a cat or bird is hungry, it can't really get food on its own. So we must remember to take care of our pets. When you look after your pets well, it will love you in return.

Write and tell me about your pets. And if you do not have pets, tell me what pet would you like and why.

Anyway, enjoy another video of my mad little Happy!

How to Leave Comments

Dear Students,

When you leave comments for me, just click send once. The comments will then be emailed to me first and when I have read the email me, it will be published on my blog. Students, please also remember that when you leave comments for me, please type in your name and class so that I know who you are. I enjoy reading comments from everyone. I'll be having little competitions soon. So please look out and come back to my blog on Friday when the online competition is up!

Hope everyone's having fun in school. It is really great to be back in school. And yes, enjoy these 2 videos that I took of my little baby, Happy. As you can tell, she's a little mad!

Love,

Faith

Welcome Back!

Dear Students,

I hope that all of you had a good time over the summer holidays. I had a wonderful time visiting my cousins and best friend in California. The interesting thing about San Francisco is that during summer, it can be as cold as winter. It was 10 degrees in the night! If you look at the picture of my cousins and me, it's almost like we're wearing winter clothes.

This picture was taken at San Francisco with my cousins. Both of them live in San Francisco. It's a beautiful city but it can get very cold too!

My cousin, Sharon brought me to Muir Woods National Monument because I wanted to see Redwood trees. When I was young, I read a book about Redwood trees and have always been very fascinated by them. I've always wanted to see them.

We're standing in the trunk of a Redwood tree. The trunk of a Redwood sometimes can be so big that a car can drive through it!

This was my first time at a baseball game. It was very exciting for me as I've never been to one. There were lots of people and everyone was cheering. Lots of fun!

This is my best friend Eve. She lives in San Diego. I try to see her once a week but it can be hard when she lives so far away. I stayed with her for 2 weeks. We had a great time!

What did you kids do over the summer? Actually, why don't you write on a piece of paper of what you did over the summer and stick a photo of you taken at your vacation and give it to me so that I can decorate the English Room? I'll love to hear what you fun you had!

And yes, it's great to see all of you again! I missed you kids!

Love,
Faith

Summer is Coming

Hi Students,

All of you must be really happy that your examinations are finally over, except for the Primary 6 students. Do you think you did well for your examinations? Are you happy and excited that the summer holidays are coming? What are your summer plans?

Primary 6 students, you have to continue working hard because you have one more examination to take. But don't worry, I'm very sure that you kids will be able to do very well. Are you excited about going to secondary school? Oh no, I will definitely miss you kids. It was really enjoyable teaching you kids. Remember to come and visit me! And if you're going to Singapore for summer holidays, let me know. I'll be there in August and maybe we can go out together.

Mother's Day

Dear Students,

It was Mother's Day last Sunday. Did you do anything special for your mother? What did you get for her? Write and share with me what you did for your mother.

My sister in Singapore was very helpful. She helped me to order flowers to be sent to my mother. When my mother received the flowers, she was extremely happy. She called me and said that she received the flowers. My mother loves flowers very much. I'm glad my mother liked the flowers.

So students, write and tell me what you did over Mother's Days. Tell you how you celebrated Mother's Day.

Faith

Tests and Exams

Students,

I know that everyone is busy studying for your tests and exams. But I want to wish everyone the best for everyone of you. Study hard and I'm sure that you'll be able to do well for your exams!

Easter Holidays

Students, how are you? Did you have a good Easter break? I did. I went on a short holiday with my husband. We went to Lombok in Indonesia. Lombok is an island near Bali. Bali is about 4 or 5 hours away by ferry. The island is small and rather quiet too. We enjoyed ourselves. We stayed there for only 3 days. It was enough because we were very bored by the time we were about to leave.
This photo was taken on the night we arrived. The pool did look very inviting. We were starving by the time we arrived at the resort.

This is the view from our room. There were too many trees blocking the view of the sea. If there were less trees, we would have a better view of the sea.

We were on the boat on the way to snorkeling out in the sea. Although the boat was small, the boat ride was rather smooth, we did not feel seasick at all. Thank God!

This is the boat that we took to the islands. When we first saw the boat, we were a little afraid and worried. We were thinking......Is the boat safe? Well, it was. We had a pleasant boat ride.

On the way back to the resort. I love seeing blue skies and blue seas. It's so beautiful. The sun was quite strong so we had to sunscreen on our skin or we can get sun burnt.

On our way back. This is the plane we took to Singapore. We spent a few days in Singapore before heading back to Hong Kong.

Did you have a good holiday? Write and tell me what you did over the holidays.

Why Do We Celebrate Easter

Students, again, I apologize for not updating my blog. I have been very busy at work and at home. I believe you are having fun with the extra 3 days of holidays. But remember, do not touch birds or play with friends who are sick. It is also important to wash your hands and keep clean at all times.

This Friday is Good Friday and then we will have Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Do you know why we celebrate Easter? And why is Easter important? Easter is my next favourite festival. My other favourite is Christmas. I am very glad and at the same time sad and ashamed.

On a Thursday close to 2000 years ago, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, one of his disciples and brought to court and then he was sentence to die on the cross. It was sad. He has beaten and he had to carry his cross to the hill and there he was nailed to the cross. On Friday, Jesus died. That's why we have Good Friday. At that time, Jesus' family and friends were very sad. They thought that it was the end. Then on Sunday, when Mary (Jesus' mother) and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, they could not find Jesus' body. Then an angel appeared to them and told them that Jeus has rose from the dead! He has resurrected!

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

William and Gloria Gaither


I hope everyone will have a good Easter holiday but remember at the same time, remember why we celebrate Easter!

My Family Visit

Students, thank you so much for giving me lots of suggestions for my family's visit to Hong Kong. They had a really good time. My family loved the night markets at both Temple Street and the Ladies' Street. They loved the shops and also the food there. They had a great time eating fishballs, stinky tofu and all kinds of yummy food. My family also bought lots of stuff at Citygate Mall at Tung Chung. It was a shame that when they were here, it was very cold. Everyone was freezing.

We took time to go to Disneyland as well. It was my third time visiting Hong Kong's Disneyland. My sisters have never been to Disneyland before so they were pretty excited about it. Although Hong Kong's Disneyland is small, I still love going there. I love to take rides and see all my favourite Disney characters. I like Stitch and Winnie the Pooh. Which is your favourite Disney characters?

This is my dad and mum. We were in the train from Sunny Bay to Disneyland. I love to take this train because the windows are the in shape of Mickey. It's just so nice and magical.

This is my younger sister, Joanne. She's on the carousel. She had so much fun at Disneyland that she's planning her next visit soon. But she'll come when its a little warmer.

This is my youngest sister, Jacqueline. She loves Winnie the Pooh the most. She has been to Hong Kong three times to visit me and she wished that she went to Disneyland earlier. She's also thinking of visiting me and Disneyland soon again.

After my family left Hong Kong to visit my grandma in China, we went back to Singapore to celebrate Chinese New Year with my husband's family. It was nice to celebrate festivals with family. Last Saturday, we went to China to visit my grandma too. It was nice to see my grandma. I miss her sometimes.

Students, write and tell me what you did over Chinese New Year and if you had lots of fun like me.

Help Needed!

Students, I need your help. My parents and my sisters will be visiting me in Hong Kong in about two weeks. My family will be here for about five days. I want to bring them around and show them Hong Kong. But the problem is that I don't quite know where to bring them to. I don't know Hong Kong well enough. Do you think you can give me some suggestions where I can bring my family to? Can you share with me your favourite restaurants that serves very yummy food? Can you also share with me where are your favourite places to visit?

Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Did you have a good rest during the holidays? I had a good time with my family and friends in Singapore. Had a very yummy lunch and dinner at my parents' home for Christmas. It was really delicious! On New Year's Eve, we went to a hotel in Singapore to watch the fireworks. It was beautiful. My family joined us in ringing in the new year.

The is the day view from our room. We stayed in the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. The view overlooks the Esplanade and the Central Business District in Singapore.

This the night view. For some reason, I think the night view of Hong Kong is better especially if you're at The Peak. This was taken before the fireworks.

The fireworks started. Doesn't this look like Mickey Mouse?


I love fireworks. Do you like fireworks? What did you do over Christmas and New Year's Eve? What are you wishes for the new year? Write and tell me!