( Some personal blah blah blah )
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That one words and questions meme, answering my CLAMP soulmate

( Words! )


( Questions! )

One day, [the teacher] brought a plaster model of a man's head into out classroom. The surface of the model was as smooth as porcelain. [...] 'Raise your hand if you think the surface of the model is rough?'

What a stupid question, we all thought. It was obvious the surface was smooth. Nobody raised a hand.

'Now, raise your hand if you think the model has a smooth surface.'

Everyone raised their hands.

'I think you are all wrong or at best, you are only half right. I want you to look at it more closely and then tell me your answers.'

This time there was a magnifying glass beside the model. We looked through it and were surprised to discover millions of tiny holes on the smooth surface of the head.

- Li Cunxin, Mao's Last Dancer

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I look back on my old self in this life and can't help but think I've come a long way. I still have many, many flaws, but not as many as I used to. And some flaws, some cracks in my diamond have become less deep, perhaps. Many things shaped this change. My family situation and family, my friends, the people I meet but once or twice, my mum especially. I've had nothing but wonderful teachers, and I love you all for it.

Of course, teachers can do nothing, if the student is unwilling to learn.

The one newspaper article that I remember and forget with the wind possibly has had one of the greatest pieces of advice to understand and apply when it comes to self improvement. I can't remember the exact words now, but it went something along the lines of this:

Most of the time, the things other people do that annoy or anger you will be things that you do yourself.

( Cut for some personal reflection )