Friday 27 April 2007

Smoothies D'lite!

Dear Scoop Shop fans,

Here’s your lite dessert this week!
Enjoy the smoothies and delectable goodies that will come your way every alternate week!

Enjoy it before it melts!

Love,

The Scoop Factory


Peace was Jesus’ first word to His beloved disciples after His resurrection. Today, our Risen Lord continues to offer us His gift of peace! St. Paul tells us that prayer is key in attaining God’s peace:

“Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

An encounter with two nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor proved that prayer works wonders! As the nuns shared about their experiences with the elderly in their hospice, there was a deep sense of peace and tranquility that radiated from within. Despite having to constantly grapple with suffering and death (the average age of their patients is above 90), the nuns remain strong. Prayer is unsurprisingly their secret!

Before Jesus sends us out to do His work, like the disciples, He first offers us His peace. Only when we are at peace with God and with ourselves can we work to build His Kingdom. Let us never get so caught up with the work that we fail to make time for prayer. For it’s in the silence of our hearts that we hear His gentle whisper, “Peace be with you!”

May the Peace of our Risen Lord dwell in your heart today and always!

- Contributed by Francesca Lee, 26 April 07

Friday 20 April 2007

Easter Treats!

Flavour of the Day


Planning a Lesson, Anyone?
I would like to share a few pointers from the first chapter of ‘Tools for Teaching: Classroom Tips for Catechists’ by Joe Paprocki in the light of our Singapore context.

Tips for Lesson Planning:

1. Look ahead - Most catechists are given a calendar of topics at the beginning of the teaching year. Sometimes though, this calendar it’s pretty much redundant by the second month, because there are so many change along the way. Still, it is a good idea to get a picture of what’s happening during the calendar year in
order to know what you need to accomplish by the end of it.

2. Get to know your text and your class – If you are like many Singaporeans, you may suffer from having too much to accomplish in too little an amount of time. We really thrive on those step-by-step notes; but it’s relating to the children or teens that’s tough. Either they are distracted, disruptive or indifferent.
Suggestion? Take it easy on yourself and show an interest in them (even if they are not interested in you). You don’t have to know everyone’s names by heart. What’s most important is that you show that you care about them, but would brook no nonsense nevertheless.

3. Examine the teacher notes in the instructor’s manual – It’s great to have at an instructor’s manual (we’re quite happy to follow it). However, for the catechism levels that have no manuals at all, don’t panic: Get advice or notes from your ‘seniors’ – catechists who have gone a few rounds of teaching.

4. Visualize yourself teaching the lesson – This might be good for those who are self-conscious or have little experience with teaching. If time permits, do try it. Visualize presenting the lesson you have planned. Imagine every possible scenario and how you would react. Imagine problems that might arise and visualize how you would best handle them.

5. Make adjustments to fit your particular class – Just as life is not predictable, no lesson plan is set in stone. Once you’ve got the gist of the lesson, think of your particular’s class’ readiness (or lack thereof) for what the lesson calls for. Sometimes the children’s personalities do not fit the activity set in the lesson plan. The better you know the class, the better you’ll be able to make adjustments in order to have an effective lesson.

6. Know your goals and learning outcomes (objectives) – Know the purpose of your lesson. It’s not about finishing all the activities in the lesson plan. It whether your goals and learning objectives have been accomplished.

7. Get your materials ready – This is a no-brainer but we should keep this in mind all the same.

8. Have Plan B ready –Always have an option ready in case something falls flat or just isn’t working the way you had hoped.


Contributed by Liesl Massang, 20 Apr 2007, pic by nana.

Toppings


In the still of the night...

It's the wee hours of the morning and I'm alone with my thoughts... the steady ticking of the clock, my only company in the quiet of the night... my mind is racing... it up drifts along the thin sliver of moonlight that is coming through my bedroom window... it imagines the world beyond that moon... of planets in a solar system... solar systems whizzing around the centre of the galaxy... countless galaxies moving at unbelievable speeds to the edges of reality... dark matter... black holes... a huge expanse completely incomprehensible to our small minds... and I ask:

"God, where are you in the universe?"


It's frightening really. We are just one infinitesimal speck in the entire universe. A universe so unimaginably massive and seemingly void. An enormous darkness. Did one Being create all that? Why should He even care about the small thoughts of someone on that speck.

My heart feels constricted as my logical mind tells me I'm alone in the night... My breath grows short and shallow... I feel...

"I'm right here."

My breath becomes regular. I feel cosy and comfortable... like someone is cradling me. I sleep like a baby...

-Contributed by Michael Puhaindran, 09 April 2007, pic by nana.


Extra Goodies

In addition to Liesl's flavour of the day, here are some goodies you can add to your ice-cream creation!

1) Smile (Rainbow Sprinkles)
Greet the childen with the sunshine of the day. YOU
Yes, yes amidst all that taking attendance and keeping them quiet.
The best topping they can enjoy is a smile on their catechists’ faces and a crisp “Hello”!


2) Praise and Encouragement (Almond Nibs)
I’m quite sure most of you know and practise this in class. Aside from teaching them about God, and their faith, we catechists play an important role in helping the kids learn to love themselves, even when they are nutty. ;p


3) Sincere Affection (Whipped Cream)
God is love. A simple pat, a nod of acknowledgement or a hug can show a kid that we care. Just like how cream milk is slowly stirred and beaten till it forms fluffy whipped cream,

we need to stir love and mix effort into loving them.


4) Sweet treats (Chocolate Treats)
For ages 2 to 92. Top up love with something sweet. You can never go wrong with a candy treat once in a while!



5) Praying with Love (Chocolate sauce)
At the end of the day, our aim is to help the kids build a relationship with God. Infusing chocolate sauce with ice-cream will make the creation a whole lot yummier!


-Contributed by Nana Philea Moo, 16 Apr 2007

Monday 16 April 2007

FREE ICE CREAM TODAY (17 April)

Dear Scoop Shop fans,

Free ice cream today from our good friends at Ben & Jerry's. Since we are not so technologically advanced yet, and we can't beam 3D objects thru the Internet, you have to physically make your way down to any of the listed stores from 12pm to 7pm on 17 April 2007 for your free ice-cream cone. No kidding!!

The 8 participating Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops (in Singapore) are:
Downtown East, #01-08A
Great World City, #02-40A
Suntec City Mall, #01-152
Raffles City, #B1-80
The Cathay, #02-12
United Square, #02-40A
VivoCity, #02-135
White Sands, #01-36



Also during the Easter Season,
we'll be alternating a full blog with a lite one
every two weeks.

For all you teachers out there...
A little lengthy but if you need a booster,
enjoy this one.

http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/

love,
The Scoop Factory

Sunday 8 April 2007

ALLELUIA! CHRIST HAS RISEN!

TODAY'S FLAVOURS

Risen!
(Click on image above for animation.)

If you celebrate Easter then you must believe the impossible. You are not merely asserting you believe that a dead person could come back to life, like Lazarus, but you are declaring as a tenet that such a person will not die again like our Lord Jesus Christ.

To the unbeliever, the Resurrection is a myth, as Zeus and Hercules are. To the skeptic, the Resurrection is a legend, as the ghosts in St Patrick’s School are. To the intellectual, the Resurrection is a scientific phenomenon awaiting an explanation, as restorative powers of certain herbs were.

The mechanics of resurrection answer the “HOW” question. Such intellectual forays may be interesting but not necessarily useful. For example, if you swim, there is no point asking how. Your limbs automatically cooperate with each other to propel you forward. If you are writing this article, you need not ask how. You simply race across the keyboard to put words together in a comprehensible order to tell a story. The real question to ask is “WHY” – why did you swim at the time at the place in the manner you did? Why do you write the article as such?

So if you behold the Resurrection like an interested observer two millennia after the fact, the HOW question would figure largely for you. As a participant in the Resurrection, however, it should no longer be important how it happened but why it happened.

How do I mean? When she broke up with me a little less than two decades ago, my life went to bits. The world took on a dull sheen like the underside of a casket lid. I spent many waking moments moping and trying to get her to change her mind. When I failed, I imploded and withdrew inwards. I searched myself to know what of me that was unworthy of her. Nothing else interested me, neither God nor studies.

When I finally came out of my doldrums, it was illuminating and humbling. It shed light on how I had been treating the relationship and my expectation of it. It changed my idea of what really mattered. Life came back slowly. That day I died to my uncharitable attitude and I rose to a new appreciation of what a life-giving relationship is. Much later, I realized how God had held me in his palm the whole time even though I was oblivious of His presence.

Easter is not just a historical event. It is not just a day of remembrance. It is a logic defying, a life reorientating experience. The Lord has risen and so must I for I know He loves me enough to raise me from the dead again and again.

- Contributed by Francis Ow, 07 Apr 2007


TOPPINGS

"Once we had no sugar for our children. I don't know how, but a little child heard that Mother Teresa needed sugar. He went home and told his parents, "I will not eat sugar for three days. I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa." After three days, the parents brought the
child to our house. In his hand, he had a little bottle of sugar. He could scarely pronounce my name but he taught me that it is not how much we give, but how much love we put into the giving." - Mother Teresa.

Loving others above yourself is not just a lenten journey. It is a Christian journey.

- Contributed by Nana Philea Moo, 06 Apr 2007



EXTRA GOODIES

See the highlights







TAKE AWAY

Bible HA-HAs
Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew outa little prophet.

Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.

Q.. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.

Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.

Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.

Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan The banks were always overflowing.

Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.

Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.

Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.



Thursday 5 April 2007

Happy Triduum!!


Dear ice-cream fans,

We apologise but The Scoop Shop will be virtually
closed from Thursday evening (5 April)
to Saturday late night (7 April),
to observe the Triduum
celebrations of the Lord!

However, visitors will get a special lenten multimedia treat!
[Click right here]