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Just a note

2009-12-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

Although I'm using Blogger to publish my bloggie, non-Blogspot people can comment too. Using "Other" as your "Identity", you will then be given options to type your nick =)

Happy Lunar New Year 2009

2009-01-25T18:09:00.001+08:00

First post for 2009 =]

Happy Lunar New Year to all~

It's been a hectic three weeks at school, but I guess I'll cope...

I've modified the bloggie layout a little and added a song, to welcome the new year.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:21:00.002+08:00

Firstly, a very merry Christmas to all and a wonderful 2009 ahead.

I've been taking a break for the past week... and I finally managed to catch up with Naruto's anime and manga. It's been two months since I started watching the anime... starting from the first episode all the way till Shippuden 89. A total of 309 20-minute episodes. I've also managed to continue reading the story from the manga... till the current chapter 429. Quite an experience in itself, made possible by random late nights. So all I can do now is to wait for the next episode of the anime or next chapter in the manga.

I went back to school last Friday though... for the Sec 1 registration. Managed to get a new work laptop as well =] An Acer Travelmate 6293 with the following specifications...

Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400
(2.26 Ghz, 1066 Mhz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
12.1" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite LED LCD
3GB DDR3
320GB HDD
DVD-Super Multi DL
WLAN and Bluetooth enabled

Managed to take some photos of my workspace and transfer them to the laptop via bluetooth. Quite a cool laptop I guess. My only complaint is that the screen is reflective...

Went for a class BBQ last Thursday as well... organised by my form class in 2007. It was a nice gathering for them I guess, since they were in different classes for this year and will still be for the coming year.

Well, some pictures of the BBQ and my workspace...

Genting Trip

2008-12-15T13:14:00.002+08:00

Yep, I'm back safely from Genting all thanks to the superb driving skills of a friend.

Didn't really do much in Genting. Watched two movies though... Disney's "Bolt" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". "Bolt" is quite entertaining because of that fat hamster. "The Day the Earth Stood Still" was nice too, with the message that we should protect the environment. It was a good trip except for the fact that I was suffering from the effects of my flu.

Am now stuck in my room with a friend's dog. I'm taking care of him for a few days. He refuses to listen to me... so I'm keeping him with me to prevent him from running around the house. Will probably bring him down for a walk in the evening.

The flu bug got me...

2008-12-11T14:26:00.002+08:00

What a time to be down with flu... one day before my short trip to Genting Highlands.

Just reached home not too long ago from sending two colleagues off at the airport. Will need to pack my stuff before I attend a wedding dinner this evening.

Will be away from 12th - 14th December... then it'll almost be the end of my break liao. Back to school soon~

My 2008... as seen by others

2008-12-09T00:44:00.005+08:00

Decided to do a thumbnail collage of photographs, uploaded and tagged in Facebook by my friends.

A collection of photographs of some events I was involved in, in almost reverse chronological order...
Teachers' day dinner (Shanghai night theme), In staff room while spring-cleaning, Frog porridge at Chinatown, Hightea at Orchard, Friend's ROM, Gathering at friends' place, Singapore Flyer learning journey, Friend's birthday, Chill-out session with colleagues, JustBlog outing.

Reservist: 24 Nov - 6 Dec

2008-12-07T00:03:00.002+08:00

Ho ho, it's been more than a month since I last updated...

Nothing much happening so far except for the fact that I've been going back to school until the week before my reservist and that I've just finished my 14-day "vacation" at Sungei Gedong Camp. I've always enjoyed my reservist mainly because of the fact that I get to meet up with my army friends of about eight years. My only lament is that reservist normally falls during my year-end break from school. However, reservist next year will be in August... which means that I will probably miss three weeks teaching in school, which means that I will probably be super busy prior to my reservist next year, rushing as much of my work as possible.

This year's reservist marked the 6th reservist training for my unit. The highlight of this reservist was ATEC Stage I, the first part of the exam for all active and reservist NS units. There were a total of about 28 skills/drills to be tested and I was required to be trained in four or five of them, but was tested in only one station finally, the AI section crew drill. Next year's reservist will be a shiong one... 21 days... with many many outfield activities.

IPPT (physical fitness test) was the next "big" activity that takes place every year. Having not exercised for a year, it was of no surprise that I didn't manage to clear my running. Will probably start running regularly so that I can pass my IPPT (and be SGD100 richer) by my next birthday. The results of this year's IPPT: Shuttle run - 10 sec, Standing broad jump - 225 cm, Chin up - 5, Sit up - 39 and running - 13 min 17 sec. A total of 16 points but an overall fail because of my running. Not bad for not having exercised for a year, but I'll definitely do better for my next test. Heh.

Another week or so before returning to school to start preparing for the coming year. Will be going to Genting from 12 - 14 December... hopefully it'll be a good trip =]

Old Already...

2008-11-03T23:05:00.002+08:00

Last week was quite a hectic week, with three programmes which I'm involved with running at the same time as well as a few parent-teacher meetings. That aside, I think I'm really growing old le. Why did I have such a revelation? Well, I have two pieces of evidence to support my claim...

Firstly, I was involved with the Peer Support Leader (PSL) Camp last week at Labrador Adventure Centre and I went over after school to join three of my colleagues who were running the camp. There were a few pesky small flies (not rubbish bin flies... not fruit flies either... just tiny flies which like to hover over heads) which hovered over my head. One of my colleague noticed that and told me about it... but not only did my colleague notice the flies, she noticed that I had white hair. Not just one, but at least three strands. 晴天霹雳... I never had white hair... well, at least not until I started teaching >.<" And so... I was standing in the open with two female colleagues scrutinising my hair like they were catching head lice.

Secondly, we were turning in for the night on the second day of the camp and I went to turn off the lights. Guess what, I couldn't see a thing after that and it took quite some time before my eyes became accustomed to the darkness. My night-blindness was not this bad the last time I noticed.

Haiz, 真的老了...

A quick entry for October

2008-10-20T23:40:00.002+08:00

Almost six weeks has passed since I last posted something.

The exams are over... and it will soon be the end of the school year. However, work carries on as usual for me, with probably a short break in December after my reservist.

Looking back, I guessed I've really come a long way, to have completed a full year in school. Not easy I would say, judging from the nightmares and worries that I've had. I should probably make a record of this particular nightmare that I had.

It goes like this... I was invigilating a class for the end of year examinations, not a class that I would normally invigilate, since we always invigilate our form classes. Anyway, the students refused to behave like how they should during an exam and I had to constantly remind them to stop talking, turning to face their friends etc. There came a point when all the reminding... and later, shouting didn't work, that I banged my head against the whiteboard or door out of frustration and ran out of the room crying... end of nightmare.

But teaching isn't as bad as the nightmare depicted... and I wouldn't lose my composure and run out of class crying. I do hope that I have made a positive difference to the students whose paths have crossed mine, because they have made a difference to me, whether I show it or not.

On another note... was quite bothered after my work review last week, but am feeling better now. Perhaps I will one day learn the true meaning of what teaching is about... and be comfortable and empowered to take on whatever challenges tomorrow holds.

Sept 2008

2008-09-06T13:30:00.003+08:00

The September school holidays came and went in a flash. Other than having the luxury of time to sleep in in the mornings, life has been the same for me. School still took up most of my day time. Been going back to school from Tuesday to Friday. Some students would turn up in school to look for me occasionally, most of the time asking me about subjects which I do not teach but still am comfortable with.

Managed to get some work done... but not as much as I hoped to achieve. School is starting again on Monday... the last lap of the year. Must perservere on =]

Google Chrome

2008-09-04T09:10:00.002+08:00

Downloaded Google Chrome last night and am quite satisfied with its no-frills design and functionalities. Will use it at work because of its supposed better memory management... because my office laptop complains about low memory when all I have opened is two IE window and Windows Messenger >.<" The laptop has 1GB of RAM... and runs like a snail.

On another note, I thoroughly enjoyed the Teachers' Day dinner at Marriot despite having to work during the dinner. The weekend staff trip to Batam wasn't too bad either, except for the fact that the agency didn't book the return tickets for the ferry in advance and we were stuck in Batam for four hours before returning to Singapore on Sunday night.

The Electric New Paper

2008-08-28T23:29:00.002+08:00

Now, I shall wonder how long I can keep playing and dreaming. See paragraphs highlighted in red below.

Extracted from "The Electric New Paper", August 28, 2008

THE COMING-OF-AGE TEXTBOOK

Your life is over. Now, just live. That's what lawyer Adrian Tan, who wrote the popular '80s novel The Teenage Textbook, told students at a convocation at NTU recently. Here are some excerpts:
August 28, 2008

YOU may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy.

We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino.

It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup.

Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap. That's why our life expectancies are so long.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom...

I'm here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy. After all, it's calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it...

Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today...

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

DO NOT WORK

THE most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable. Work kills.

The Japanese have a term 'karoshi', which means death from overwork. That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill.

But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There's a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. Or people who are employed to do something morally distasteful, or even plain criminal.

Such people justify their actions by telling you they are 'making a living'. No, they're not. They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful...

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself...

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. Wake up and know exactly what you want to do and why you want to do it.

If you don't, you are working.

BE WARY OF THE TRUTH

MOST of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth.

I'm not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things.

The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth.

Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

BE HATED

IT'S not as easy as it sounds.

Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many.

That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions.

It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role.

There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself.

Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

FALL IN LOVE

THE other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say 'be loved'. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false.

Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings.

It is far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work - the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way...

Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming...

You will find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Woah...

2008-08-19T22:35:00.002+08:00

I shall not sleep early in future...

Why? Because I woke up in the middle of the night and all I could think about was how to manage students who misbehave >.<" It was around 3.05am when I woke... and I tossed and turned on my bed, thinking of how to get students to hand in work, how to rearrange the class seating arrangement so that I can minimise the amount of talking during lesson etc. I couldn't get back to sleep... until about 3.45am, after I forced myself to not think about anything.

Scary.

Ich bin müde

2008-08-18T00:07:00.002+08:00

I'm tired.

The love for teaching... can be killed by students who are totally unappreciative of what is done for them.

Students who do not listen, despite everyday reminders for tests and going through examples after examples during lessons.
Students who do not do homework, despite chasing them for work.
Students who do not behave, despite them knowing that they should.
Students who do not study, despite detailed notes being printed for them.
Students who do not care at all, because life to them is all about playing and having fun.

Perhaps one day they will understand.

Teaching has always been my dream. I wonder how long I can keep dreaming.

Breathless. Nope, not The Corrs

2008-07-22T23:21:00.002+08:00

Hectic week... almost breathless liao.

Monday and Tuesday: 'N' levels oral time-keeping (after school)
Wednesday and Thursday: NCC Part A Camp Feast (full day)
Friday: Course (after school)
Saturday: Sec 2 Subject Briefing (morning)

Not forgetting the normal lessons and other administrative stuff to do.

Of Facebook and Friends

2008-07-07T13:30:00.002+08:00

Was feeling bored and decided to view the ever-laggy Facebook to change my message.

Remembered that I added this application that allowed me to generate a "friends web" sort of thing and decided to regenerate it.

Basically, I realised that my friends (those who own a Facebook account) fall into 6 groups: secondary school friends, online friends, JC friends, random friends, university friends and colleagues.

Nothing remotely exciting... just an observation =]

It's July!

2008-07-05T13:15:00.002+08:00

The CIP trip to Cambodia was an enjoyable one. Will not mention the details, since that would take too long. Angkor Wat was impressive when seen from far. The restorative works would have had a greater impact if done at a faster rate. It seems to me that the rate of restoring Angkor Wat is almost the same as the rate of its decay. Didn't buy many things physical, but brought back lots of memories =]

The June holidays came and went. How time flew... Ha. I did manage to sleep in more during the last few days of the holidays. Managed to get some work done too, which was good considering that the past two weeks of school was totally hectic, with the first week spent on meetings on a daily basis. Week 2 was not as bad, but not much marking was done. Week 3 is expected to be busy too, considering that I have an essay due on 11 July 2008, from a Special Needs course that I attended in late May.

Nothing impressive going on in my life. Will be attending two or three weddings/ROMs this month though... big hole burnt in pocket :P

Siem Reap, Cambodia - 3 June 2008 to 8 June 2008

2008-06-01T23:23:00.002+08:00

I'll be away in Cambodia on a Service Learning trip from 3rd - 8th June 2008... just in case anyone wondered why I'm not online during the school holidays.

I'll need to be in school at 8pm tomorrow and guess what? I haven't packed >.<" I'll probably do so if I can wake early tomorrow morning, before heading to school at 6.30am to meet a parent at 7am. I hope she remembers the appointment this time. I took a cab to school last Friday to supposedly meet her at 7.30am and she didn't turn up because it had totally slipped her mind.

Down with quite a bad sore throat... saw the doctor this morning. I hope I'm 75% "recovered" by the time I leave in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

A costly trip to the doctor's

2008-05-28T22:54:00.002+08:00

In preparation for the trip to Cambodia, I went down to the doctor's yesterday evening to get the necessary immunisations.

At a total cost of SGD100, I got for myself three injections... tetanus, typhoid and flu, as well as malaria pills that will have to be taken for 1.5 months, one tablet per week. >.<"

There should really be subsidies for money spent prior to school-related trips... :P

Now my arms are aching from the injections. Zzz

It's a dog's life

2008-05-25T22:19:00.002+08:00

Although the June holidays have begun, I don't see that I'll get much rest... in fact, I'm busier than ever... at least for the next two weeks. *dies*

Week 1 of 4
Monday: On Course (8.30am - 5.30pm), followed by tuition (8pm - 10pm)
Tuesday: On Course (8.30am - 5.30pm), followed by go see doctor
Wednesday: On Course (8.30am - 5.30pm)
Thursday: Maths Conference (8.30am - 5.30pm)
Friday: Meeting Parents (7.30am - 1pm), followed by packing of Logistics for Cambodia Service Learning Trip

Things to be done...
- Cut hair
- Go see doc for vaccination and malaria pills
- Pack for Cambodia SL Trip

Week 2 of 4
Monday: Sleepover at 9pm for Cambodia Service Learning Trip
Tuesday: Cambodia
Wednesday: Cambodia
Thursday: Cambodia
Friday: Cambodia

Your Free Day, 22nd May 2008

2008-05-25T21:25:00.003+08:00

It was a pleasant day out with students from my form class.

Breakfast followed by movie at Plaza Singapura. Breakfast was at McDonald's, and I had an Egg McMuffin meal.

The movie was a treat from my co-form and I and from the looks of it, I guess most of them enjoyed themselves. "Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skulls" was an adventure movie... and I thought that the plot was good, a movie worth watching.

The class took some photographs just before the movie. I do not have the photographs yet though, so I won't post them up for the time being. My first time looking at a strip of 30 movie tickets... a length almost equivalent to my height.

It was back to school to get some work done before heading over to my cousin's place for tuition.

The Singapore Flyer

2008-05-14T21:36:00.002+08:00

In the midst of marking the mid year examination papers, it dawned on me that I have not written about a learning journey to The Singapore Flyer. Well, not that it was exceptionally exciting... but it was a learning experience nonetheless. I'll not write about what The Singapore Flyer was about and what I saw while I was in the capsules. Rather, there was this query that I had... how did they build The Singapore Flyer, given that it was built by piecing together different sections of the wheel from the bottom? The information given in the booklet from The Singapore Flyer was not sufficient for me to deduce anything useful. Oh well.

So much to do... so little time.

Another year older...

2008-05-06T22:30:00.002+08:00

It's the time of the year again... when I'm reminded of my age. One year older... and hopefully one year wiser.

As always, my birthday is a quiet affair (except for last year when a whole class celebrated it with lots of noise).

This year, my form class made lots of noise too... after they discovered it was my birthday... and made me blow out the candles of a drawn cake on the whiteboard >.<" They wanted me to make a wish... and I did... that my form class will behave themselves well and be nice students to all teachers =] Well, I'll see if the wish comes true.

My colleagues bought a Crumpler haversack for me... so nice of them. Although I really didn't want them to spend this kind of money :/ Another colleague got her mum to bake a cheesecake for me, knowing that I like cheesecakes. So nice of her too... going through such an extent to make this birthday a special one.

We had our staff photo-taking yesterday afternoon and those around me were teasing me during the informal shot. I'll have to wait for the photos to be out before I know what they did, especially the two who were standing behind me... Tsk tsk.

Dinner was at Vivocity Marche... and I had a Roesti with Chicken Cheese Sausage and a bottle of Apple and Pear Fruit Juice. Self-paid though, but with nice company =]

Went home... and another cheesecake was waiting for me. Two cheesecakes in a day... ultimate indulgence. Ha. I think this year's birthday also broke the record for the most number of times I've heard the birthday song being sung. And so that marked the end of a blissful day =]

Of March and April Past

2008-05-02T21:53:00.002+08:00

Time does fly, even if one is not having fun.

The months of March and April have gone past in a flash, but without many events taking place, many of which I have already forgotten by now.

One highlight for the month of March would probably be the Term 2 Week 2 activities. I was attached to the Sec 2 Camp and was at the Labrador Adventure Centre for five days, facilitating two camps for the students. I personally enjoyed the second camp more... because the students were from classes that I am teaching or have taught before. Another reason was because we were all more prepared too, after going through the first camp. It was a tiring one week and I tried dragon-boating for the first time in my life.

The month of April was sheer mental torture, with so much to teach and so little time before the mid-year examinations. Days were spent churning out notes, worksheets and class tests... with the accompanying backlash of marking. I was tasked to set two papers for the impending major examinations... and am quite happy with my masterpieces :P

The month of May marks the beginning of the examinations... and prior to that, a preceding week of inhumane revision (ahem... inhumane for the teachers, not for the students). And now, one will reap what one has sowed over the past 17 weeks of Term 1 and 2. Hard work will eventually pay off... and those who depend on luck will eventually lose out.

A pleasant weekend to all...

And so... May is here

2008-05-02T00:23:00.002+08:00

Haven't been writing anything for months...

Much has happened though... just that I can't seem to find the time, energy and need to write things down.

The past few months have been hectic, especially at work. With so much going on, there's barely time to take any breaks and get a breather. Will need to find means to slow down and appreciate life for what it is.

Will update over the weekend if I'm not in the mood for procrastination.