Someone Like You

This song from Adele:

"Someone Like You"

I heard
That you're settled down
That you
Found a girl
And you're
Married now

I heard
That your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things
I didn't give to you

Old friend
Why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back
Or hide from the light

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over

Never mind
I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
"Don't forget me," I begged
"I'll remember," you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead."
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead,
Yeah.

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday
It was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise
Of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind
I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
"Don't forget me," I begged
"I'll remember," you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead."

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known
How bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind
I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
"Don't forget me," I begged
"I'll remember," you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead"

Never mind
I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
"Don't forget me," I begged
"I'll remember," you said
"Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead"

Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead

Felt as if she ripped my heart out and left it bleeding on the ground.

Wow!

Mandarin Rampant

For many, the weekend is a time to recharge, to recover from the work week’s mental or physical drain. Some sleep in, ignoring the rigid cycles that define their work life. Others pack their schedules full. Most spend their Saturdays and Sundays with their families, forging deeper bonds. Yet others indulge in their passions and activities, which lift them up spiritually or psychologically.

For me, there is no choice in the matter. With the missus out of town for work, I have been left to take care of my daughter. The situation does not allow for much relaxing, sleeping, or any activity that does not involve bringing a seven-year-old along for the ride. And since her school teachers have indicated that her Mandarin is less than stellar, and wished to put her in a remedial class, I have had additional duties piled upon my plate.

Honestly, my wife’s Mandarin sucks. She is barely able to converse on a kindergarten/lower primary level. And she has difficulty reading even the Mandarin section of the daily free tabloid. I sometimes wonder how she managed to survive in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, those years that she was outstation there.

It stands to reason, therefore, that I be assigned the task to teach my daughter the intricacies of Mandarin. Unfortunately, I know only the methods by which I myself had been taught. By ‘unfortunately’, I mean unfortunately for my daughter:

It was a harsher time when I was a student. The teachers do not mollycoddle their pupils as they do these days. Punishments were swift and merciless. My knuckles were not permanently damaged, and I can still sit on my arse, so I suppose it can be survived. So I am going back to these ‘tried & true’ methods – writing, recitation, repetition. And a swift whack when her attention wavers.

The results have been promising so far: she received 42/50 for the first ‘Ting Xie’ and full marks for the second. Now all I have to do is to keep her sufficiently motivated. All the praises heaped upon her by both her grandmothers help.

As does the promise of a new tech-toy. Like me, the daughter’s a gadget freak : )