I wanted to continue working on my project but somehow my mind is a blank. I just cannot focus on anything that is study related now, sigh.... the stress of it all. I'm really glad that this will be my last semester though I don't know if it was a good idea to cram three modules into one semester what with all my awake-time spent with Sam and my twilight hours dwindling to two/three hours now instead of the four/five hours that I used to be able to clock. I attribute that to old age (after all I am two years older than when I started my course) and accumulated sleep-debt, two-years' worth!

Sam
He's the light of my life and he's the cutest baby ever. He's my son, of course I'll say that... haha. He'll be eighteen months in May! How time flies. I can still remember the days and nights when he drove us crazy when he was just a little baby. But I guess if it weren't for him, our lives would be very boring now. He's learning to talk now and rambles on from morning to night! His vocab has passed the 100-words count and he's still picking up lots more. It's fascinating to watch him grow up, and it's comforting to know that we played a part in his wonderful development.


Well, that's all from me for now, think I'll retire for the night, at least that will help reduce further sleep-debt. cheers.

I think Singaporeans are a spoilt lot! Why? Well, today our lecturer gave us a two-week extension to our project which was supposed to be due duh.. today! Three weeks!! That's how long we had to do it and yet, some of us...couldn't finish it. I wonder what would happen if their time was up, I mean seriously, would they say to God, "Would you give me another couple of weeks please? I didn't have time to finish my life, too busy la"

Jeez! These people are spoilt!! Completely molly-coddled by the Government in everything they do - they have incentives for everything and I mean everything! Incentives to start a business, incentives to be entrepreneural, incentives to venture out of the country to invest, incentives to get married, and lately... even incentives to get a baby!! How more spoilt can a nation get?

I'm just rambling.. didn't have a good day today. Good nite.

I haven't been blogging for awhile now. Busy as usual. Can't understand why I just can't seem to keep up with the laundry, both the washing and the folding parts!! They seem to have overcome me! I've now 3 loads of wash - 2 loads of clothes and 1 load of sheets - all waiting to be folded and I just did another load of wash this morning! Maybe I'm losing my touch, or maybe it's just this assignment that's got me pretty perplexed. No matter how hard I try, this case study is really mind-boggling. There's so many parts to it that I don't know where to start and worse, I don't know how to put them all down in words. Seems like this will be a long semester!!

By the way, my results for last semester are out and I got another 2 distinctions. Yeaaa... for me! At least all that hard work and sleepless nights were worth it.

Yawn..... looks like it's time for me to get back to doing my assignment.

Nat's Corner

I wanted to blog sooner but with exams and just a short week's break and my PC crashing in between starting the new semester and all, I was just too exhausted.

I have just completed 6 continuous days of classes!! That's a record! The timetable was not scheduled well this round and we had a really rough time juggling Sam's care and Kelv's work timetable. But this being my last semester, we, that's Kelv and I, have decided to just sacrifice a bit more and endure all the stress for the next three months. Hopefully, we will survive!

I must say that I am really lucky to have his support and encouragement, something I really cannot do without. On days when I feel really stupid, sad or just plain exhausted, Kelv has always been around to lift my spirit, encourage, comfort and just hug me if I need it. If I sound all mushy, it's only because I love him. I am the luckiest girl in the world and I'm glad that I know it.

Nat's Corner
My courses for this semester are finally over but I've got to prepare for the exams next week. It will be more hard work before I get my well deserved two-week break. Third year is really no joke, everything is much tougher. Loads of projects to complete and all my modules seem to be getting much more complicated. Maybe I'm losing my touch, maybe all these months of lost sleep has finally caught up with me, maybe...

Just in case you're wondering, Sammy's fingers are healing, thank God. He's also getting to be very active now that he can toddle around the house. Sometimes I get so very tired just trying to catch up with him. One second he'll be in the living room and the next in the kitchen or bedroom! Wish I can tie him up or something. (That's tiredness talking!)

Oh, yesterday was Valentine's Day and I had classes in the afternoon(!), yes can't believe it myself, it was smack right in the middle of the day from 2 - 5 pm! I bought a small bunch of flowers for Kelvin, inspired by my classmate's husband's thoughtfulness ... the chap was so sweet - came to pick her up and had flowers for her too!! Sigh.... the romance.

Anyway, Kelv was tickled by the flowers I got him and we decided to do something a little special, but didn't want to spend a bomb on expensive dinners at restaurants, so we ended up at the beach with take-away dinners. The beach was crowded, don't know if it was because it was V-day or if that was normally how it was. Whatever it was, we didn't let that spoil our night, we found a nice spot near the waves, parked ourselves on the grass, laid out the ground sheet and 'picnicked'! Little Sam enjoyed himself very much munching on his apple and stealing bits of our dinner. That was followed by a long, slow walk by the beach. It was indeed different from our usual V-day celebration but it was wonderful. Hope you had an enjoyable one too.

Well, I gotta go study for my exams now. Cheers all.

Have you heard anything more inspiring or motivating than this? In my weak moments I count myself lucky to have chanced upon Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If'. It set my thinking straight.. well at least a little better, Kipling's 'If' is a good example of what living is about - integrity and behaviour. God is certainly gracious to me as He has led me to this poem in my hour of need, Kipling's poem is truly inspiring.

I leave you with this, may it inspire you as much as it did me.


'If' by rudyard kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Have you had one of those days where you feel like you're at the top of the world? Well, this is definitely not one of those days for me.

I always wondered where my mother got the energy to go on with her marriage life with three kids and a very unsupportive husband! Some days I can hardly go on... even with a supportive (??) husband and only ONE kid! How did she do it?

I've been feeling really down these few days... maybe it's the stress of all the projects that I was rushing for and the knowledge that I didn't do a good job this time round due to the CNY holidays and my visit back to my hometown. The visit was great, it was wonderful seeing all my loved ones back home but it cost me - big time! I did not have sufficient time to hand in quality work for my individual projects and now I'm regretting it.... and feeling really guilty about not spending enough time on my work. How do I get over this feeling? Maybe it's just me... being a perfectionist does not help, at all.

Sammy got burnt a couple of days back. I left him with his daddy for less than five minutes and he got scalded by the iron during that short time! How did it happen? I really cannot comprehend it! Being angry does not help coz it's over now but somehow it makes it very difficult for me to trust Kelvin when he's alone with Sammy anymore. This certainly does not help my paranoia. I just cannot understand how it is possible for him to not be able to care for a little baby for a few hours without bungling it! Isn't there some maternal or in this case, paternal instinct to want to protect your little one from harm!?! The list, so far, has gone from forgetting Sammy's feed (a few times mind you!), over-tiring the little one by bringing him out the whole day and missing his nap times to now this incident with the iron.

I know, I know, some things just aren't supposed to be done by men, this I have been told many times, but hey, it's not fair to keep saying this over and over and say that they should be excused for everything just because of their sex! I was not brought up to look after kids, neither was I taught to look after infants nor babies but I learnt, by hook or by crook I learnt! It took a tremendous amount of reading but I managed, and whatever I learnt, I taught him. So you see there was a transfer of knowledge here. I shared everything I knew with him, so why can't he do it? Sometimes I get the feeling that he just doesn't bother to try and that is what saddens me most.

Just needed to get this off my chest...

What a hectic new year this has been! I have been having classes and project meetings nearly every other day and haven't had time to even breathe! We've four projects and two presentations to tackle this round in a short period of six weeks and I'm really feeling pressurised. All these late nights of slogging on my projects are really taking its toll, been suffering from headaches lately..... It just doesn't seem to go away. Any cure for headaches anyone?

I just finished watching 'Serendipity' on TV, I heard so much about it.. about how good it was but it was kind of a letdown. I found the story so corny. Maybe it's just me but I don't know, I just felt that nothing in life can get that messed up and then still have a happy ending.

Christmas passed very slowly and lonely for me. Kelvin had to work and I was left alone with Sam. Don't get me wrong, Sam's wonderful to be around with but you can't have a conversation with a baby can you? I just need that 'human' contact, that's all.

On a cheerier note, Sam has learnt to stand and he can now take steps (when assisted)! It is fun to see him take his steps every now and then. Too bad I cannot post pictures here, coz I'd have to upgrade and pay $$.... something I don't want to do yet since I'm not blogging that regularly... yet. Maybe later.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!

While having my shower I wondered who’d read my blog. I mean what kind of person reads blogs anyway? Won’t they have better things to do than to read about someone else’s rantings? To be fair, not all blogs are rants. Some are pretty good actually. My guess is a blogger would read other bloggers’ blog. That’s what being a blogger is isn’t it? Writing and reading blogs… errr… right? Anyway, someone from www.flyingchair.net is holding this best blogger awards thingy and if you are free do go over there for a whole list of blog sites to visit. Some are really good, like this photoblog called CY Leow’s photoblog and Screenshots by Jeff Ooi (both Malaysian blogs). Others are ok, and some are plain junk like meesh (from Malaysia) and xiaxue (from Singapore).

Well, that’s my two-cents anyway, go rate them yourselves.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother but then again where can I ramble and complain without irritating anyone else? Sigh...... guess this is better than bottling it all inside waiting for it to eat me up one day. Anyway, here goes, my mom-in-law called me yesterday afternoon. There was no cordial 'Hello Nat, how have you been doing? We missed you at prayers last week.' (Just FYI, I had classes all weekend and it was a refreshing break from babysitting!).

Instead all I got was her angry voice demanding that I TELL my hubby to return the bottle of 'ginseng' which she accused him of NOT eating. She wanted us to bring it to the family gathering that evening. How does she know that he did not take it?? I wonder.... did we announce it to the world like..."Hey everyone, we have a bottle of 'ginseng' here that we are not taking!!!" No, I'm sure it's just her way of telling me that she's pissed that I did not take her to the flower shop like she TOLD me to.

Yup, she TOLD me to bring her to the flower shop a couple of days before Sammy fell ill (and a day before Kelvin went to HK). As I was not free then, I said I would when I could, then Sammy fell ill and I was kept busy, busy, busy. But I guess since she didn't bother to call to find out how we were doing she didn't know that Sammy was ill or that I had my hands full and could use some help.

Anyway, she was rude to me on the phone. I told Kelvin that his mom wanted her 'ginseng' back and he said that he'll pay her for it since he spoilt it. What surprised me most was how my mom-in-law acted that evening when she saw us. She was cordial to me!! Imagine that, the cunning woman was actually talking nicely to me! I deduced that she was nice only because Kelvin was around and well, if that's her game, then fine. I will be on my toes from now on.

I actually thought we were getting along for awhile! I was trying hard to be a friend to her for Kelvin's sake. I didn't mind ferrying her around when she needed to get some things, even brought her shopping for her household stuff but I guess all that has been in vain. She must have seen me as just an errand girl or something equivalent and is not grateful for the friendship that I have extended her. How very sad.

Got this is the mail today. It's a little long but worth the read.

THE PERFUME

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.
However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long to say, " Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive.

The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer... the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

In case anyone's interested, I managed to get 2 distinctions for my papers for last semester. Yup, that's 2 more As under my belt. Yahoooooooo..........

Today as I was patting Sam for his afternoon nap, my thoughts drifted to my mom and aunt who came to visit me last week. I thought of their cheery chit chats and laughter and how I missed them. I thought about how close they are even after spending half their lives apart. I thought of the support my mom and aunt gave each other during their times of need - my mom for her angioplasty and my aunt for the removal of her left breast.

My thoughts then went to my sister. We've lived apart about half our lives too! I left home at 17+ to work in a foreign country whilst my younger sis and brother completed their education. Our family was poor, my mom couldn't afford to put me thru university so I decided to give my younger siblings a chance by going out to work. I didn't earn much, in fact my first official paycheck was only a meagre SGD534.00, earned working as a bank clerk. I have been working ever since.

Anyway, back to my sis, lucky for us we are still close, we call each other every now and then, we email each other almost weekly and we still meet up every year! I'm glad I have her in my life and I want our relationship to be just like that of my mom and aunt's, forever!!

Sam fell ill last Sunday and is now recovering, thank God for that. I was so worried that his fever was never going to break! It finally did. The doc said that it was most likely a viral infection, hard to comprehend that when I hardly bring him out at all.

Anyway, the past 3 sleepless nights have taken its toll on me, I now have a splitting headache that doesn't seem to want to go away and my patience is really short. Yes, I am a monster when I'm tired, I'll admit that, but who isn't right? Looking after an ill baby is really tough, Sam was crying and fretting a lot, so much so that at times I felt like smacking him. Don't worry, that's normal, what is not normal would be for me to actually do it!

My new semester starts tomorrow! Don't know if I'll attend the first lesson of the semester as Sam is still not perfectly well yet. We'll see how it is tomorrow. I can't believe that I am already half way through my degree course, really looking forward to completing it soon. It's really taxing to have a baby and study part time!

Here's something I got in the mail yesterday, enjoy.

TO ALL THE INCREDIBLE WOMEN THAT GOD CREATED.
By the time the Lord made woman, he was into his sixth day of working overtime. An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered, "Have you seen the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable, run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and have two pairs of hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Two pairs of hands! No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

AND SHE IS!

Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without, so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friends dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can help to heal a broken heart.
Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes. They'll drive, fly, walk, run.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning!
They bring joy and hope. They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

If there's one flaw in women, it is that they tend to forget about themselves.

Have I ever mentioned my mom-in-law? I don't think so. My husband was away in Hong Kong for some training his company sent him. He was gone for all of 5 days. In the 5 days that he was gone, my m-i-l didn't call to check if I needed help or if I was ok. The fact that I'm a first-time mom taking care of her grandson who will be carrying the family name (which is a very big deal in Chinese culture and traditions) didn't seem to have any effect on her at all.

No, it's not that I want the attention, but it would have been a nice gesture to find out how I was coping alone at home with a baby..., after all I am the mother of her grandson.

Well, I guess that's her...... being herself. When I married Kelvin, I married his whole family - that's how it is here in Asia. The new family that I got "married" to was not so warm nor caring towards each other... I mean they do try and I'm sure that they love each other very much but they just don't seem to know how to be civil to each other for very long. Gatherings usually end up in arguements, and over the 'silliest' reasons too!

I always wondered why they acted the way they did and slowly I found out that they were just brought up that way..... by the matriach, my m-i-l. Anyway, to make a long story short, she wasn't modelled after the 'Stepford wives'. She's more of a "I'm always right and you're not" person. She tried dominating our marriage but thankfully I managed to reason with Kelvin that it is OUR marriage after all and not hers. Our relationship wasn't actually wonderful in the beginning but I tried to be civil for Kelvin's sake. Didn't want to put him in a difficult spot. Sometimes I wonder why I try so hard........

Yesterday I saw a parent smacked her kid who was throwing a tantrum. Later the same day, I heard a child screaming her (his? can't tell, the voice was too shrill too differentiate) head off! I wonder if we are bringing up our kids right these days. Some children are given so much choice that they become spoilt and demand more. Today, my brother-in-law sent me this story of 'non-violence in parenting' and I thought I'd share it with you...


Dr. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and founder of the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Non-violence, in his June 9 lecture at the University of Puerto Rico, shared the following story as an example of ‘non-violence in parenting’:

"I was 16 years old and living with my parents at the institute my grandfather had founded 18 miles outside of Durban, South Africa, in the middle of the sugar plantations. We were deep in the country and had no neighbors, so my two sisters and I would always look forward to going to town to visit friends or go to the movies. One day, my father asked me to drive him to town for an all-day conference, and I jumped at the chance. Since I was going to town, my mother gave me a list of groceries she needed and, since I had all day in town, my father asked me to take care of several pending chores such as getting the car serviced. When I dropped my father off that morning, he said, 'I will meet you here at 5:00 p.m., and we will go home together.'

After hurriedly completing my chores, I went straight to the nearest movie theatre. I got so engrossed in a John Wayne double-feature that I forgot the time. It was 5:30pm before I remembered. By the time I ran to the garage and got the car and hurried to where my father was waiting for me, it was almost 6:00pm. He anxiously asked me, 'Why were you late?' I was so ashamed of telling him I was watching a John Wayne western movie that I said, 'The car wasn't ready, so I had to wait,' not realizing that he had already called the garage.

When he caught me in the lie, he said 'There's something wrong in the way I brought you up that didn't give you the confidence to tell me the truth. In order to figure out where I went wrong with you, I'm going to walk home 18 miles and think about it.' So, dressed in his suit and dress shoes, he began to walk home in the dark on mostly unpaved, unlit roads. I couldn't leave him, so for five-and-a-half hours I drove behind him, watching my father go through this agony for a stupid lie that I uttered. I decided then and there that I was never going to lie again. I often think about that episode and wonder, if he had punished me the way we punish our children, whether I would have learned a lesson at all.

I don't think so. I would have suffered the punishment and gone on doing the same thing. But this single non-violent action was so powerful that it is still as if it happened yesterday. That is the power of non-violence.".

I just hope that I'll be a good parent and pray that God will give me guidance, strength and patience when I need them most.

My exams are over.. at last but only for this semester. I have 3 more semesters to go and then it will finally be over!! I cannot wait. It seems like a dream, 3 more semesters.

I'm going to be the fist one in my family to have a degree and I'm feeling pretty good about it :) I've been studying part time for very long, almost for as long as I can remember. Started with my certificate course, then my diploma and the advanced diploma and finally, this degree course. Yes, I have come a long way and it has taken a very long time for me. I would have completed it sooner, but it does cost a lot to study part time and not having enough funds does put a dampener on one's plans. Enough said, what's important is that I'm finally on my way to completion. Yahoo.......

Another joke for today.
For those who are working, you'll find that this sounds pretty familiar......

A man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west
longitude."

"You must be an engineer" said the balloonist. "I am," replied the woman, "how did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."

The woman below responded, "You must be in management." "I am" replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people below you to resolve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.