A Swansong.....

I suddenly lost the interest to write my blog. Calll it really depressing, but alot of things have happened over the past week. I guess this will be the last entry for the month of October or even for the year 2004.

It took me great thoughts to draft out this blog entry. I appreciate the calls for me to be upbeat again. The results are out, we are having a promotion meeting today. Not that it is a big issue, all my girls get promoted anyway (hooray!! There will only 2 classes which have 100% no problem and 3/4 is one of them) everything remains the same, all of them promoted to 4/4 2005 and maybe the seating arrangement will be the same, the familiar "neighbours" and maybe even the class committee will be the same....

The reason why I am so disinterested in the class recently is not because i am irresponsible or what and it is also not that I am bochup but rather I feel that I will have this really sickening sinking feeling if I continue to be so close to all of you. I feel the need to be detached at times, so that it will not "hurt" so much. Ha ha but look at it from the bright side, you will still be the 100% refractory class and most probably you will still going to make your new form teacher, whoever that may be, 100% refractory.

Anyway I should take this opportunity to congratulate my class for getting 1st runner-ups in the rugby carnival, bruised bodies, bloodied lips, broken teeth if any...

I do not know your thoughts about this, but I sincerely hope we close this chapter with a bang. It has been a helluva year and it was great working with you people, even if you people can be SO....
1) extremely DIRTY, with socks, tissues and rubbish strewn all over the place, and I have not even talk about the mind.
2) overly AFFECTIONATE, with your gifts and class spirit and your songs and your generous dosage of enthusiasm.
3) extremely DEFIANT at times, to other teachers I mean. In fact even bordering to the point of rudeness, but never to me :P
4) overly ON THE BALL, with the extra practices, the extra banners, the extra effort
5) overly REFRACTORY, what can I say, a class of mixed talents who work well with each other.

With all these, I will cease activity in my blog. Hopefully I can find the zest to write about things in the new term of 2005. Thank you for all your loyal patronage, it was not easy to get 5000 over hits since "opening shop". Guess to look at the random thoughts of the teacher especially one who offers his 2 cents worth is exciting to say the least huh?? :P

Anyway to all the girls, Failure is just a journey to success. Be strong and continue o work hard, one day you will reap the benefits.

Take care! Study hard and don't forget to play hard too...

Today

Today is good old monday, the start of a working week. I have quite an enjoyable weekend, went to play beach volleyball at East Coast Park, absorbing negative ions, breathing in the salty air, feeling the sea breeze.

Today is also the start of the last academic week before the holidays. The last week I will be seeing my form class. Is it me or is it that I feel that I am getting more and more detached from them? Could be a good thing for me, or it could be bad? Seriously t go up to class and see that the class seems to be a bit "bochup", so aloof. I wonder.

Today's post just don't seems to make any sense as always.

"High" by Lighthouse family

When you're close to tears, remember
Someday it will all be over
One day we're gonna get so high
And though it's darker than December
What's ahead is a different colour
One day we're gonna get so high
And at The end of the day
We'll remember the day
When we were close to the edge
And we'll wonder how we made it through
And at The end of the day
We'll remember the way
We stayed so close till the end
We'll remember it was me and you
We're gonna be forever you and me
You will always keep me
Flying high in the sky of love
Don't you think it's time we started
Doing what we always wanted
One day we're gonna get so high
Cause even the impossible is easy
When we got each other
One day we're gonna get so high
And at The end of the day
We'll remember the day
When we were close to the edge
And we'll wonder how we made it through
And atThe end of the day we'll remember the way
We stayed so close till the end.

Teh Tarik

the results are coming thick and fast.
not that i have anything to complain about
just that the girls in my class seems to be desensitised
it seems to some that it is one bad result after another, one more justification to make to the their parents.
Was it really that bad...? I guess so. And I can see they are just waiting for the time and the paper to pass, for the report book to be passed to them and endure the earful for a couple of weeks and to get out totally from the agony they are facing now.
I am busy monitoring, who may not clear the exams, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

In case you are wondering why I have not been in really good mood these two days, it was because of a couple of things that has happened, and of course my precious class is involved in some way or another. Nothing bad, just upsetting.

Teh O and Kopi SU SU and MILO

it is so difficult to write remarks about the girls. It is like you have to praise andlike subjective statements about them when u really don't mean it :P

Anyway I agree that everything about the exams was bad , the results, and of course the "stupid" efficiency of the teachers who seem to have no life and can actually return the A maths papers at record4 days of markings. And for those jokers who missed today thinking that it would be a walk in the park, a stroll in the garden or a crawl in the nursery, well you would be rudely shocked to know that by tomorrow, you will have another 4 papers coming in. Talk about PROFESSIONALISM AND EFFICIENCY! 3 cheers for IJ teachers!!

I am now listening to random tracks on my music jukebox ( currently playing Drowning Pool ' Let the bodies hit the floor") , while trying to compose remarks and as usually I am doing things that I am not supposed to do. Just came back from Track and Field and of course a nice leisure coffee break with some ex girls at StarBucks. Maybe what Jess W said was right, EDIT: Mr Ng... Yeah, it does suck, but hey, it's really been a nice year, and it's nice to know you care ^^, it has been a blast, a different class, a refractory class, a different attitude and of course a different mentality. What can I say, i have learnt as much from you people and hope that you have learnt stuff from me. it is time to move on and part ways..... but as I say it really suck.......

Now playing Eminem "Without me"........

TEH O and KOPI SU SU

it seems kinda of weird to be back infront of 3/4 and starts to communicate with them again. It seems like we have not have these type of conversation for a long long time. Not that it was any form of conversation but rather a monologue, the harbinger of bad news. Well not all news were bad, at least the class won the coverted Global Citizenry Award for term 4. Way to go!! As for the bad news, they were so bad that I can see that the class have lost their "chirpy"ness. Come on, it is not so bad, the only thing that you have to face will be your parents and always remember your parents love you, and even if they choose to express it in any form of action, please still remember it is still love.

It wasn't easy to be standing in front of a class who I have thought I will be taking them to their Os and finally see them graduate and of course see them in their prom dresses during grad nite. Now it seems they are disappearing right before my eyes. I could feel the bochupness in my bones and my skin; it seems that the faces in front of me will get blurrer and blurrer. It is a weird sinking feeling. IT SUCKS, IT REALLY SUCKS BIG TIME...

Silence

My work officially starts today. Well actually it started when I carried 8 piles worth of SS papers painstakingly written by the students. Well I guess the urgency finally settled in as I am now overwhelmed with the SS marking, History markings and congrats the Add maths marking.

Is it me or is it the time of the year when the end of the papers and the giving out of report books meant that it is the end of the relationship with the class? The end of the year is usually a mad rush, so rushed that when you realsed it, the girls are on holidays, you are on holiday and then you are with a new set of students new set of form class and most importantly new set of feelings and expected. I need some solace and peace.

Currently listening to Jay Chou " An jing' or "Silence"

Behold Bidore!!

Just came back from my trip to Bidore, With Miss Tan, Jacinta and Felicia. Great Trip. Attached are the pictures from the trip. No time and the stupid Blogger refused to let me create a good looking link

http://photos.yahoo.com/alecng74

According to my mum yesterday, today is my lunar birthday.

If today represents the birth of me about 30 years back, i shuddered to think if it is going to be a representation of what is about to happen for the next 30 years or more. It is a helluva day, running to classes to classes, I could smell the sweat on my shirt. Starting with A Maths, and followed by Social Studies, then A Maths then Social Studies again, 8 periods altogether. I am so glad I have survived this ordeal.

I am really not t
hhhhhhhhhhhhh
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
nnnnnnnnnnnnnn
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
ggggggggggggggggg

ssssssssssssssssssssss
tttttttttttttttttttttttttt
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
gggggggggggggggggggg
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
I need a rest........................

I See IC

I am getting a big present for my birthday, a new IC.

For the ignoramus ( or hippotamus, or hippotamus"es" plural), this meant that I have reached the golden number of 30. As required by law, a citizen at the age of 30 ( not 40, or 50 or even for the record, 34 years and 2 months) have to make a new IC to reflect his/her new look ( balding or frizzly hairdo, plump or aneroxic, glasses or san glasses). This is to make sure that if you are somehow caught of doing something bad/evil/nasty/angelic and they have to submit a picture of you, they will not be using the one that you have taken when you were in JC 1. I hated my picture in the IC; in fact I have accidently showed it to a couple of ex girls before and they liken it as reading Stephen King "Pet Sematary", not that it was THAT scary, but it is just that the ancient look with the bifocals was alittle 1980s ( anyway that was what it was supposed to be, what do you expect, 1960s, I am not that darn old)

Anyway the IC will be with you until the day you see GOD. That will be when the hospital will punch a hole through your IC and certify that you have expired your stay as a citizen of Singapore. Nothing really morbid about it, just that I guess every birthday passed is just a step closer. But most importantly, you must live life to the fullest. The greatest regret is when your life flashes past you, and you realise that you have done nothing significant in your life. I think that will be even more horrific than dying.

Talking about dying, I caught the movie "Vertical Limit" on Channel 5 yesterday evening. Anyway I got the DVD of the movie but I was still religiously and faithfully sitting in front of the TV set , with the commericals and such. I think what struck me most while, was the persistence and the passion he had, and I am not talking about Chris O Donnell but me. Hey I could have easily switched to watch the DVD and save my time going through those repeats of "Singapore Idol' commericals and trailers from the "Bachelorette", and of course the Carlsberg beer advertisments. I realise the most important thing that I learn from the show was the strong belief that Chris O Donnell has to save his sister, to conquer his fear and phobia of climbing. To send 6 men to save 3 was suicidal and to return with only 3 is certainly not cost effective. But then again that was what I mean by living life to the fullest, although the people died, they died for a good cause, for it was really in doing the act of rescue, that they finally did something about their lives. Dying in the middle of an avalanche, is definitely a no-no when it come to ways to die...

Anyway, forget about the morbid stuff. A couple of blog readers ( yes outsiders and not present IJ girls) asked me what I would like for my birthday. Well here is a simple wishlist. ( I hope my wife is reading)

1) A cool looking haversack for me to carry my markings and other stuff (preferrably deuter)
2) A BMW Series 3 metalic grey car which costs S$112,000 ( It doesn't hurt to dream a little)
3) A romantic dinner with my wife at Equinox
4) A romantic getaway to Bintan over the weekend
5) A nice birthday cake ( blackforest my favorite)
6) A couple more teachers to go for the mission trip with 3/4
7) The mission trip can go on as planned.... ( cross fingers)
8) The book "The Dictators: Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia" by Richard Overy
9) Series 4-10 of Friends ( Sigh! not available yet)
10) Peace and Quiet on my birthday.

I think that with my age, I think I treasure point 10 the most...

And that is my 2 cents worth.

Lazy Sunday
It is the start of the week, or the end of the weekend. As I looked back and reflected on what I have done for the whole saturday early Sunday morning. I realise that there was really nothing I have done.

Attended a wedding dinner with my wife, a cousin's wedding, her cousin's wedding. Somebody I don't even know. I had to go as usual, the family thingy and of course her grandmom, who I have never met, has flown from Australia specially for this. She would like to see her handsome, charming grandson-in-law. ( well I added the adjectives myself, so that I can convince my subconscious that it is absolutely necessary for me to go)

It was at the Dragon Gate Restaurant situated at Lobby C of the Harbour Front ( former known as the WTC), and you would be surpised that it is situated right at the fourth storey amidst all the office spaces. But then again, that was not the crucial point. The crucial point was the small talk on babies. Yah the dreaded "B" word again. "So when is your turn?", "Why your tummy is so small? No Babies", (with that they threw a glance a my wife's tummy, even though mine looks more convincing as someone who is pregnant.), "Why no babies, not trying hard enough?" ( I should spare the under 21 the explicit details, but what was the connotation about, Me not enough sperms or She not enough ovaries?)

It was dreadful sitting through a 2 hour plus dinner when I could have a) mark the A maths test paper, b) what the "Xi Yuan Lu 2" on Channel U since that was the finale, c)Complet the editing of the exam papers or d)enjoy the baby making process. All the 4 choices seems more exciting that the very one non-choice I am bearing with. To make things worse, my rumbling stomach was screaming for food and dinner was yet again lately served at around 8.45pm. You shoudl have seen how the guests wolfed down the food and eyed the dishes like vultures when the newly weds were doing their i) march in, ii) cutting of the cake, iii) popping the champagne, iv) "yam seng"ing etc etc. A hungry man is an angry man no matter what joyous occasion he is in.

The whole feel of the dinner was also not helped by an elderly auntie waitress who seems as equally unwilling as me to be there at the dinner. From the way she served and growled at the diners to finish their food and put their dirty crockery at the centre of the table to facilitate clearing reminded me of some autocratic parents screaming at their 3 year olds at the food courts or other public places.

In my table were a couple of supposedly close relatives who I was supposed to know as they had supposedly attended my wedding dinner. I was frantically trying to remember who they are and could only muster a feebly smile. Who the hell are they? Half way throughthe dinner and I was already thinking of going off. But as always being the nice person that I am I decided to stay through. (the dessert was my favourite)

Any idea why I am blogging when I actually turn on the comp to start doing some serious work.. Argh... GOD HELP ME!!

The sickening thing about weekends is that We have to work to the end of the week to get it. And even so, We still have to work our socks out during the weekend to get our work done. We can't let our hair down ( not that I have alot of them) to enjoy a peaceful, relaxing weekend with our family. Talking about that, I could not remember when was the last time I had spoken to my mum, you know mother-son sharing. Was it last saturday or friday... hm... Anyway I am about to leave home to go for a workshop at ACS Barker, some sharing thingy which I am utterly reluctant to go. Come mon, my examinations papers are still in reds and shreds ( ie read last entry of blog) and I haven't been spending quality time with my family. IN fact my wife and myself seems to be living in two time zones. You see she is currently in between jobs and is having a field day being a housewife. Which means that she is busy at home doing housework and planning for her new job whatever it is) She will be out in the evening where I willbe at home slogging and marking papers or doing the flavour of the month, setting exam papers. Likewise when I "shut down" for the day say about 12 plus, she will be back and she will be doing stuff of her own till maybe 2-3 in the morning. When I wake up to start the new day, she will be still asleep...Hm,this is seriously not healthy for our relationship, certainly not conducive to make babies. But then again, the government are great at planning, it is just that they never see the nitty gritty of the execution part.

Ripped these from the net again.... Pretty funny

The Best of the Worst Country-Western Song Titles (These are *real*)

• Do You Love As Good As You Look?
• Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through The Goalposts Of Life
• Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye
• Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure
• Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares
• How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?
• Been Roped And Thrown By Jesus In The Holy Ghost Corral
• I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
• I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
• I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me
• I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart
• I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You
• I Wanna Whip Your Cow
• I Would Have Wrote You A Letter, But I Couldn't Spell
• Yuck! I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dawg Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win
• I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me Than A Frontal Lobotomy
• I'm Just A Bug On The Windshield Of Life
• I've Been Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart
• I've Got The Hungries For Your Love And I'm Waiting
• In Your Welfare Line - If I Can't Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You
• If Love Were Oil, I'd Be A Quart Low
• If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I'd Blow It All On You
• If The Phone Don't Ring, Baby, You'll Know It's Me
• If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Go And Find Someone Else who Will
• If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
• Mama Get The Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)
• May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
• My Every Day Silver Is Plastic
• My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love Jesus
• My John Deere Was Breaking Your Field, While Your Dear John Was Breaking My Heart
• My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him
• Oh, I've Got Hair Oil On My Ears And My Glasses Are Slipping Down, But Baby I Can See Through You
• Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill
• She Got The Gold Mine And I Got The Shaft; She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger
• She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart
• She's Got Freckles On Her, But She's Pretty
• Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone
• They May Put Me In Prison, But They Can't Stop My Face From Breakin' Out
• Velcro Arms, Teflon Heart
• When You Leave Walk Out Backwards, So I'll Think You're Walking In
• You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith Too
• You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd
• You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat
• You Were Only A Splinter In My Ass As I Slid Down The Bannister Of Life
• You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

And that's my two cents worth.

This is going to be a pretty and dumb post. If you don't get what I mean at the end of the post, I guess you can get rid of the "and" between the words "pretty" and "dumb".

Random#1
I am officially on Friendster. Congrats to me...
Not that I really wanted too. Was invited by my 4/3 girls 2004. Thanks! Now I know how ancient I am.
Have you realised that how small the world is? Friendster sure show me that.. I had a student who is the cousin of my good buddies during my honours day. I have a student in my form class who happen to be the cousin of a friend I used to attend art lessons. Not that I am really that eager to meet him, in circumstances that I have to meet up with him for tea and financial planning, but then again, that will be a good way to find out about how he is. Guess it makes sense (or cents)

Random #2
I realise that the teachers are officially on Alert Red Stressed Panic Mode. It is quite obvious when the staffroom is devoid of human activity by around 3 which is still fairly early considering the longhours that teachers do work. I am still in the midst of setting my SS papers and I have to say the signs are not good. It was returned to me in brutal slashes of red, with arrows and asterisks which seems to make no sense to me. The last time I have seen my work being so closely and BLOODY criticised was my Sec 3 composition when I argued so rhetoically about the importance of exercise ( not that I am doing anything about it) I just felt really pissed about things today. And I am sure that I feel a lot better when I visit 3/4 and 3/2 for A maths. Thanks girls. I guess the reason why I am not so uptight about some stuff is perhaps I know my priorities in life, and I sure know how to be a better person than some. Maybe it is my pride at stake, maybe it is just that I am pissed with things. Damn sometimes I just hate the school with the politics. No offence.

Random #3
I still can't believe that I bought "Enemy at the Gates" from Amazon.com just to show 10 minutes to my students. What a great teacher I am though I am like US 25 poorer. And what was I thinking of when I did the impulse buying of the movie "Stalingrad" which coincidently is still in shrink wrapped form on my DVD collection shelf.

Random #4
My birthday is coming. Damn this is going to be the worst birthday ever. Change of IC, and the constant nagging about kids again. What should I wish for? World Peace?


Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.

Mission: Tripped

Congrats to me..
I finally got the approval of the Principal for a mission trip, and guess what I will be bringing my class to really rough it out. Yeah! Had a meeting with Ms Tan and Jacinta who is going to be the volunteer coordinator for the trip. What was really gratifying to know was that the Ms Tan was so full of praises with 3/4 and she feel that they are the best class for the mission trip, nurturing the future leaders she said.

Anyway, while lunging the 8 to 9 piles of marking back home, I am pretty excited about it though the thought of all the logistic, in the midst of my marking etc is already sending chills down my spine. So what if we are going to Bidore to a Orang Asli settlement which is in Malaysia ( for your information, it is in between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh) instead of Chiang Mai, and so what if we are now going on a one week trip from 17th to 23rd November 2004 ( Teachers are expected to attend the gala Dinner on 15 November 2004) instead of a mere 5 days. But I am sure the experience will be enriching. It is a Christian settlement and most importantly, we will really be getting to know about the lives of others especially those who are less fortunate than us. Short of basic amenities but strong in spirit of sharing and care and concern, it will be really an eye opener. I heard so much from Jacinta and in fact I will be going down to the settlement to have a look on the 9th October 2004.

Let's see how the class respond....

Five reasons why Bush is like Hitler

Ripped this off the net. <http://www.bearstrong.net/peoplesblog/000581.html> Really funny, especially for the girls who are doing History.. Hope it made sense...

Whenever anyone brings up the dark historical antecedents for the behavior of George W. Bush, such as the similarities between neo-conservatism and nazism, imperialism and zionism, the pro-American thought police strikes back with intricate shock and awe campaigns. The intent is to confuse the public and frighten critics back in line, a tactic otherwise known as FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. The more clever ones invoke something called "Godwin's law", which says that the moment you compare someone to Hitler in a debate, the debate is over. The motive is obvious, to stifle debate and criticism, and the method eerily reminiscent of Orwell's 1984. It works because what most people know about history is no more than what Hollywood taught them - and we all know who controls Hollywood.

But it doesn't take much education to escape the claws of conventional wisdom. Despite all the pompous huffing and puffing of pro-Americans whenever anyone mentions George W. Bush and Adolf Hitler in the same sentence, there are at least five obvious similarities between the two leaders:

1. Both orchestrated attacks on high-profile targets and put the blame on scary "others". Hitler burned down the Reichstag and blamed it on the Communists. Bush ordered Mossad to crash into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, and blamed it on the Muslims. (Possibly he also intended to destroy the Congress building, in an eery parallell to the Reichstag fire.) The result: A terrified population rallies behind their leader, eagerly applauding any new measure he sees fit to introduce against his new "enemy".

2. Both interned their political enemies in concentration camps. Hitler's Dachau was the first of many. So, no doubt, is Bush's Camp X-Ray on Guantanamo. It's difficult to look at the images of Afghan civilians in orange uniforms walk around with bags over their heads, on what is no doubt illegally occupied Cuban soil, and not be reminded of the horrible scenes we all remember from Treblinka and Auschwitz. (It is true that these were extermination camps, not concentration camps, but how much do we really know of what goes on behind the walls in Camp X-Ray?)

3. Both launched unilateral, aggressive and supposedly "preemptive" wars against weaker countries. Ignoring the protests of all civilized European powers, Hitler and his henchman Mussolini invaded most of Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. Bush and his henchman Blair are similarly off to a good start with Afghanistan and Iraq, again ignoring the protests of all civilized European powers.

4. Both massacred civilians by the millions. We all know that Hitler killed several million Jews, Gypsies and other "inferior" peoples. Surely Bush hasn't gone that far yet? But as Noam Chomsky pointed out in October 2001, the Afghan war was nothing less than a silent genocide:
Western civilization is anticipating the slaughter of, well do the arithmetic, 3-4 million people or something like that. .. Looks like what?s happening is some sort of silent genocide. .. Plans are being made and programs implemented on the assumption that they may lead to the death of several million people in the next couple of weeks... very casually with no comment, no particular thought about it, that?s just kind of normal, here and in a good part of Europe.
It can't be said much clearer than that. I don't think the figures are in yet about the number of victims of the war in Afghanistan, but this can only be a reflection of the amount of work it is to count 3-4 million corpses. And considering that this was Bush's first war, while Hitler's genocide didn't get started for a few more years, we can be sure that the pupil will overdo the master in no time.

5. Both were Christians. This point is usually overlooked when historians analyze the Nazi origins of neo-conservatism, but it can hardly be a coincidence that both leaders were motivated by the same, essentially racist, breed of religious fundamentalism. When God is on your side, ("Gott mit uns" vs "May God continue to bless America"), who needs the UN, or the League of Nations?

But to be fair there are also several ways in which Bush is not like Hitler:
1. Hitler was elected.
2. Hitler rebuilt the German economy.
3. Hitler was an artist. (Bush can't even write his own bad poems)
4. Hitler was not an alcoholic.
5. Hitler was a gifted speaker.

So perhaps the comparison is unfair. But it does provide us with several important insights into how Bush thinks, and what he plans to do after he steals the next election. So don't let the neo-cons steal the initiative - spread the meme: Bush = Hitler.

A Break

Before you knew it, it is already the term holidays. Term3 had passed by like a flash.

What are my plans for the week. A weel deserved break?? Nah... Got tons of stuff to do. Was having my Masters lessons at the British Council from 1.30 to 5.00 pm, great way to spend your weekend and of course will be spending Monday and Tuesday at the British Council for lessons again. Supposed to go down on Wednesday too but really have to catch up with the syllabus with the Sec 3 A Maths classes. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the annual Staff Seminar and of course before we knew it, the holidays had ended. Damn don't teachers ever get a rest??

Went with my girls for the Army Open House on Friday. I had to admit that I was really reluctant to go. Come on, i had dedicated two and a half years of my life to get myself acquainted with the uniforms, the environment and most importantly the shitty stuff which I had to go through and on top of that, I have to go to serve the army every year, like a yearly PMS. But then again going with my form class was a different issue all the way. I now understand why ios it that parents enjoyed going to zoos and places of interest with their kids, seeing them smile and getting so excited about it, that they keep talking and talking about it... well the feeling was priceless. (My paternal instinct had heightened as a result of the trip.... hm...) It was great that if I actually have the opportuntity to teach the girls the dance moves for the song "Hey Baby", now to have the whole class singing it and dancing to the moves like a anthem and a class cheer, now that's cool.

As a longwinded "parent", I have to again remind my classes to start studying for the exams. And this applies specially to my 3/4 girls 2004, you know that there is not much time left, so better start studying...

Teachers' DAY

Watch "Bourne Supremacy" today, on a lazy wednesday afternoon where tickets are $6.50 a piece. It is a cool show, with all the car fight and of course Matt Damon. I am not a huge fan of him, even though I enjoyed his acting in "Good Will Hunting". One thing that he was shrewd enough was to get himself in good acting roles where he was actually convincing. No offence to his good friend a particular Ben, who acted in some disaster movies ( read: bombed the Box office) and also snogged JLo with little success. Catch up with some quality time with my wife, just talking wandering along the streets of Orchard. Saw Sonia with her mom.. Think so. What a small world.

Listening to Ocean, the faceless singer blessed with terrific vocals. Quite a cool marketing strategy. Can't wait to see how he look like, CMI?

Thanks for the wonderful presents, well wishes via email, sms, and of course snail mail (how in the hell did you people get my mailing address...). Anyway for the benefit of those who do not have access to the class blog and for those who are non - 34ians, a special tribute to the wonderful refractory form class I had

Thanks for everything that you have done for the teachers including me for Teachers' Day celebration yesterday. I believe all the teachers appreciated it. As you people can see, we don't have an "issue" with all of you as what some of you think. Our job is just to help you people unleash your potential.

And thanks again
1) for the nice impromptu Happy Teachers' Day song. I felt that I was celebrating my birthday in Kindergarten... :P BTW my birthday is around the corner... hint hint...

2)the celebration in class and the lovely show of gratitude and appreciation to the teachers. Reason I rushed out, because my eyes were welling up...

3)for the Hugo Boss... CPIB will be checking on me soon... seem like my class had a penchant of buying expensive gifts for me

4)for the thoughtful gift of the eau de toilette....last year I got Hugo boss motion, this time it is hugo boss the original. Hm... Seems like you people know who is the boss huh?? This is also the second time I have gotten this gift of eau de toilette. As much as I tried, I had to believe that I am either i) too smelly (ie too much BO) ii) don't smell nice enough or iii) both i) and ii)

5)for being just what you are... Do you know that when I was talking to your seniors, my sec 4 form class, they were so impressed with the discipline and your teamwork and especially how different you people are from them? You people were great!

Personal Thanks go to:
1) Nicole DS - as a class chair, you are literally being pushed around and sat on ( hm...) by the class. But I am impressed with your workrate and how you rallied the class. You may be soft and sweet but you are strong in your own way. ( Maybe the name Nicole DS stands for Nicole De Sweet, Nicole De Soft or Nicole De Strong)

2) The class committee - for supporting Nicole and helping her with all the nitty gritty stuff in the class. Thanks Claire, Dalvin, Pearl, Ele and Teng Meng.

3) Pamela, Lynette - for always being the "nice" girls to be make the centre of jokes and provide laughter for the class. Maybe the only difference is that one knew that she was being made fun of and the other don't. :P And i have decided to add in one name Kelynn.. how can I forgot the girl who look perpetually like she had just got out of bed... "Sleepy" look are in vogue huh??

4) for the girls who are trying... continue and perservere and results will show... don't give up...

5) for all 3/4 - for being such a unique and refractory class!

A parent during the Teachers' Day dinner sitting beside me... (ehem...) made the remark that I will be a good father... Hm... I almost fall off the chair and not before I choke on my watercress soup. I see myself an indulgent father or should I say over-indulgent father... I don't think i will be a good father. And I can never see myself get out of the fear of raising a kid. Always the good and nice uncle, never the father... I cringed every time I hear a kid cry and swear in silence in every language I know when the baby strooler strike my feet in a congested MRT train. I looked in disgust when I see kids becoming Spidermen or tarzans/janes, swinging from one end to another; I lamented at the degeneration of the childrens' bodies as the feet are not made for skating... Let the baby bonus stayed in the government coffers for a while......

A bittersweet taste...maybe things should not have begin this way

Celebrations, don't you just love them...every year, for a day without fail, the students put aside their horns and forks, squeeze the air out of themselves, making them white and pale and put on a little "halo" over their heads. Yes I am talking about Teachers' Day. As I look back on my past 4 years of teaching, I started to reflect on how things have changed over the years. Whitening hair well covered by the inexpensive black, brown, coppertone hair dye, receding hairline which shows wisdom of the teachers and of course the pulling hair due to sheer frustration- a sense of resignation not helped by the unappreciative nature of certain students. But then again, what's new? This is part and parcel of teaching, just like irate bosses in the corporate world, hard-to-please customers in sales, things do happen in every profession.

And how can I forgot... the presents that got the teachers all excited. Don't get us wrong, we are not really hard up for cookies, edible (read: won't create a case of LS) or inedible ( read: heavy enough to be paperweight and a potential killer litter/ discus when thrown) Well when I first joined the profession, the numbr of presents received during this day was like the contestants hearing the poll results from Gurmit in Singapore Idol. You may not sing well ( read: teach well) but if you can smile, twinkle your eyes a little, you might survive another round. But in the long run... hm... that will be really the challenge. The number of boxes of presents I have collected over the past three year read a proud "three" one for each year. I have gotten things, from chocolates, to flowers, to mini Tshirts, cologne (smell bad huh??) to total Picasso wannabe cards, Ng Eng Teng-ish sculptures ( read: colour bottles with colour water which I believe is breeding Aedes mosquitoes the very moment we read...) I have to say I really appreciate all the girls efforts. They are so forthcoming when it come to show appreciation during the once a year event. And presents, be it big or small, is always appreciated. I understand that the student contributed a part to the teacher dinner tonight and for that let me on behalf of the teachers extend a big thank you. However I personally feel that this is just an extravagant and frivolous way for the teachers to celebrate Teachers' Day. Much as we appreciate the effort done by the parents to honour us this day, I believe some of the teachers would just love to celebrate it with..... the teachers ourselves. I missed the days when the teachers celebrate this day in a small restaurant just by ourselves. With our raised status, instead it became a formal occasion for teachers to receive the accolades of the parents who had been zealous to appreciate the work of the teacher done for their daughters; this stupendous effort to make us appreciated. While a classy dinner in a classy restaurant in a classy place in Singapore may be an idea of a tribute to the teachers, I believe the teachers would not mind forsaking it for a simple dinner, not one with the frills and thrills, or worse with the Tuxs and the coiffed hair! But then again please don't treat this as being unappreciative. The dinner will be great but I just feel that the money can be of better use.

On a side issue, have you notice the stress level in the school? If it is not apparent to you, you are a) oblivious of what is going on b) pretending to be oblivious of what is going on. Things are getting stressful for the teachers, students and even the school sweepers with increasing number of trees starting to shed their leaves ( it is autumn mind you!) I have seen teachers breaking down in tears uncontrollably or even laughing hysterically or doing both at the same time. Family committment anxieties? Work related tension? Or a bad joke passing around? One thing for sure, the stress level will be leviating to greater heights in the last term. The sec 4 are in the midst of theier preliminary exams, and the Sec 1-3 will be having their end-of-year exams in approximately 3 odd weeks or so. I shuddered at the sense of urgency , most the lack of it seen in many of the classes I teach.

In fact, for the next few weeks, I shall
1) be an absolute devil, and make sure my students start studying.
2) If I turn soft at heart to excuses, I must refer to point 1)

I made my form class do something to find their innate desires to study and to do well in the examinations. With their so many out of school curriculum activities and after school school related activities such as the stupid IPW and the mind-boggling crazy commitments, it is hard for them to find a period of time for them to start study for an extended period of time. But I guess this is the poor life of the students.

(For Teachers' Day, Mr Ng wished all his students would channel their enthusiasm from showing appreciation to him to their work so that they will do well in the Sec 3 exams. No matter how he hate it, he would hope to see the entire classes he taught to Sec 4 next year and prepare them for the O level. He, however, would not mind cookies which can double as coasters or flying targets for the errant students who love to put their heads on the tables during SS or History lessons)

Queue the Singaporean Way
Before I start my nonsensical ramblings, I would like to thank 3/1 for providing such a funny inspiration for me to write the following entry.

What is it with Singaporeans and queues? Singaporeans queue for the most trivial of things (e.g. said cat, condominiums, free gifts) but don't for the most civil (e.g. the bus, and the MRT). You have to wonder if we have our priorities straight. Does lining up for four or more hours make the prize so much more rewarding? But then again, I personally find greater pleasure in getting my food early, satisfying my hunger and watching people line up for their food from where I sit!

A couple of years back when there was this craze for Hello Kitty Dolls given out with a extra value meals, the queues for the white, dot-eyed, mouthless one have to be seen to be believed! I grinned when I saw the snaking line outside the YMCA at Stamford Road. But I almost fell off my seat when I saw the queue at Centrepoint. It had obviously started at the fast food restaurant but had made its way through the underpass and was twisting and turning towards Somerset Road! I have had a personal account from an ex-student of mine who joined the masses at 6 am and managed to claim her reward at 10 am ( yes of course missing lessons!) . A cat could go through eight of its nine lives in that time!

A passing tourist might think that McDonald's had just landed here and sua-koo locals were rushing to get a taste of some hallowed burger. (That or there is a food shortage in conjunction with the Civil Defence exercise!) Someone on the tourism board should take advantage of this and tout the phenomenon as a tourist attraction... Come see the eighth wonder (or blunder) of the world! Correctly guess how many people are in the queue and win an exclusive Hello Kitty wearing an "I saw the Hello Kitty queue" T-shirt. There are dozens to collect. Collect them all and put them one behind the other so that they form the longest line possible! If you form the longest line, you get a free McDonald's meal voucher for you and your cats or you can choose a movie ticket to watch "Super Size ME". (Conditions apply. Valid for use on Thursdays only and preference will not be given to contest winners. You join the queue like everyone else.)

Is there anything wrong with the queueing craze or even the obsession that people have? NO? Hello! Working adults were jamming highways or abandoning their cars on roads or letting the fruit of their loins* be late for school... all for the sake of ... Damn some people don't even know what they were queueing for. They stand behind the line with the mentality that "queue"="good things ahead". While queueing showed a civilised nature of the adults, psychologists say that adults can't be adults all the time. I see the logic in this. That was why there was that childish "my father can beat your father" incident when two fathers - one doctor, one Beng - fought over a place in the line for the Hello Kitty toy years back and of course, the broken glass pane when over-zealous people tried to push their way through when the outlet was opening.

Why queue? Is it really because something is good, or just a atypical singapore trend? If it is , why are people queueing for things like Hello Kitty, First Day covers, or even previous years NDP tickets? The experts also said that adults who collected such souvenirs were simply making up for lost childhood as they now had money to buy what they could not get when they were young. Hello! I also know for a fact that there is a growing number of people with not so innocent intentions. These are not real collectors or fans of Hello Kitty. They look at the black dots for eyes and see dollar signs instead. You can spot them a mile off. You know, these swarthy types that look more at home with a bottle of Guinness Stout in their paws than carrying a litter full of kittens. There are people who pay other people (one such person called them "runners". I call them "catnappers" or people with nothing else better to do) to line up for the toys and then sell them at "fat precious darling" prices over the Internet or in stores. It's like another stock market out there! And while the company might not readily admit it, there are those in McDonald's uniforms who make a brisk profit off catnapped Kittys.

To look at this in a positive note, this can be seen as being entrepreneurial and people who consider this as "entrepreneurial spirit" would be proud. Singapore is producing people who will answer when opportunities knock, strike while the iron is hot, not hesitate and not therefore not lose... and queue even before the kitty in heat calls. But the age old question resurfaces: why do people ultimately do this?

Let us examine (rough cat tongue-in-cheek, of course) why McDonald's decided to sell Hello Kittys? Why do people creat the illusion of having limited editions of certain merchandise. To make money, of course. But why? Were Macs not already saving and making money by reducing the size but increasing the price of their cholesterol-laden meals? Ah, but some people saw through that ruse. That's why they threw away the burgers after getting their Kittys. Perhaps McDonald's just got bored of just making so much money. Why else would it ruffle KFC's feathers by selling chicken? Why sell toys if not to threaten Toys'R'Us? Perhaps they were in cahoots with a mad scientist in NUS to devise a cruel social experiment. Perhaps they had a deal with CISCO to employ excess/trainee guards.

Highly unlikely. What is more likely is that the phenomenon is due to pure, unadulterated greed! A stack of money gets very lonely after a while so it craves for company. Money, being a highly gregarious entity, needs to be in the presence of lots of other like-minded notes. It suffers from insecurity. It pines, it calls, it wails... and so as doting owners, we succumb to what it wants.

Speaking of suffering, have you seen what the fans who don't get their hands on what they were queuing for? They look like a forlorn figure in the rain: sad, dejected and drained. Tensions, and frustration grows. There will be a Queuing Depression Hotline soon. But I know of some "kind" souls who, right after successfully lining up for the "toys", go right to these victims and victimise them some more! They dangle their catches like, well... the way you might dangle a ball at the end of a string to a cat. Both parties walk away contented: the seller satisfied with a fatter wallet; the buyer with a spring in his/her step because of the load removed from the wallet and the prize in hand.

If I were one of our country's leaders, I'd take a leaf out of the McDonald's handbook. Why? For whipping up such fervour. The only other queue that rivals that of Mac's is the one that forms for National Day tickets. (however being pragmatic high tech Singapore, we have choose to allocate tickets through electronic balloting, saving people the fun of queuing.) But there is a difference. There is so much passion, excitement and expectation in one queue compared to the other. People jostle or literally fight over positions in that queue. There are those who plan in advance and chope places the night before. So I must say in this case Mac Donalds 1 Singapore 0

Disclaimer: Although Mac Donalds is targetted in this article, it is by no means a personal insult. I still love Mac Donalds Mc Spicy burger, and apple pie... And by the way got free gift or not??

Old Men and Old Boys

Caustic comments don't just disappear.. they mellowed and turn acidic with age.

I am sensitive to the word "age" or anything that sound remotely similar about age (Ever wonder why words that sound similar are called homonyms and people who sound each other out are called homos ;P) I am not a stick in the mud when it come to exercising sensitivities to the concept of ageism but I truly believe that the elders need respect, balding or not. And again just to get the record straight I am not balding. I just happened to have a higher and wider than normal forehead. And for your information again, that is not abnormal. If you are into geomancy, palmistry, chemistry and geometry, you would understand it is blessed to have a wide forehead as it meant good fortune and prosperity. Trust me I said so. The least you would want is a blue black eye for the national day holidays. Blue and black aren't really patroitic colours...

I can fully understand the girls disdain when they heard me singing praises about my school Victoria. As an old boy of the school. I have deep affection and high regards for the end products churned ( me not withstanding) I guessed sometimes my fervour can be overzealous and suspiciously xenophobic when it come to other second rated boy schools. Just like all IJ girls would see their tradition and their schools as the best. I also commented that about Victoria School's motto (notice that we are sensitive to the word Victoria Secondary, as it put us in the same brackets as the rest of the other neighbourhood schools, Damn we would called ourselves Victoria Institution, modelled behind some wannabe nerdy boy school if the acronym of Victoira Institution did not sound that demeaning to an elite boy school.) Victoria School " Nil Sine Labore" or "nothing without labour" in English exemplified the qualities one need to survive and get the necessary advancement without society. Then again everything in life must come with a bit of labour and with this come the philosophy of how did you end up in this world in the first place, ( of course after a night of labour :P) But I digress, VS's motto is a simple and yet profound mantra that we should keep as the guiding principle of our life. Nothing come for free you see.

I can already envisage angry people with the compulsion to type angry replies to what I have said. Make yourself heard and remember "nothing will come without labour" :P

The MEAN ME is back (almost)

I haven't blogged for years. Well the old me, I feel. Welcome back, I feel like a spirit in transition, creepy but I feel that my evil twin had "invaded' my body. Well chosse the following response, do you like a) the old me? b) the new me ( ie the past few weeks) or c) there was a difference? But I feel that my PMS period is ending. period. Starting to get the momentum back but I am just waiting for the National Day to disrupt everything again.

Anyway, I realise that I have "lost" my acute sense of lameness especiallty when it come to the delivery of jokes. I attempted a weak effort this afternoon with my form class, since they have been always "supportive" but I guess it fall really flat, so flat that it look like a pancake. Then again pancakes are supposed to be flat.. But then I digress.

I ALSO realised that my 'mean'ness also went down a couple of notches this period of time. I just lack the zest and vigour to scold and scream. But let me warn all of you , I am about 605 back and I should be in full swing by next week. Watch out IJ!!

Haven't you been looking at the blocks of flats as you walked along the streets. For those who feared an intrusion to privacy and suspected that I am a voyuer by nature. Let me assure all of you that I am. Being a typical Kapoh Singaporean, I love to keep my eyes wide and ears open especially to interesting sightings and juicy gossips. One of the thing that I observe is the serious lack of patroitism among the Singaporeans. To justify my point, let's do an oonline survey. What will you do when Singapore is under attack? I know that this is an old grandother/grandfather/granduncle story but so are the response to be chosen. Is it

a) Stay put in Singapore and defend Singapore. This is my homeland ( and break into choruses of Kit Chan "Home" or the horrific Tanjong Katong Primary version? Anyway what happen next, hip hop version of "home"?)

b) Leave? (Come on let's be realistic, how can an island take so many people since there will be foreign invaders coming. The countries is already facing a serious overcrowding and the least we need is having people to take up extra space. Anyway we need to reproduce more Singaporeans to keep the fire burning.)

c) Singapore? What Singapore? (As I always mention to the rest of the Sec 4, Singapore is oh so big that a spit, a piss and a shit from every citizen of China will be enough to drown or/and bury us whichever come first!)

Which answer have you choose? The politically correct one is of course a) and of course as "patroitic" students you will choose a). But then again is this the answer that is deep in your heart. Feel it, (take it out with a knife, massage it a little) and is it pumping to the rhythm of Majulah Singapura? Sad to say this is not how many feel. Some Singaporeans just didn't bother to put the national flag outside their flat. Have you notice the patoitism level goes lower and lower and lower by the year. I did a simple count of the number of flags in my block and got a shocking 3!! 3 out of a blaady 100 plus flats. Talk about patroitism!!

What's wrong with Singaporeans nowadays. This is the 39th birthday of Singapore, and Singaporeans are not participating enmasse for the celebrations. There are also Singaporeans who are making use of this long break for a trip up north or south or anywhere except in Singapore. Singaporeans are far too deprived when it come to holidays and no one is willing to let this opportunity for a short break miss. But if you can stay at home to attend your mum's dad's or grandpa's birthday, why can't you just stay for the country's birthday? Many argued that patoritism is not wearing it on you shirt/dress/blouse, but through actions. People also agreed that going out is not an act of disloyalty. But when it come to the crunch how many people would really be bothered about all the little things about protecting the country? While we don't associate attending National Day Parade and putting the National Flag outside your flags as acts of patroitism, but these are a start.

If you see a half naked man, with a unflattering body trying to fix up the flag outside his flat. Take a second look, it could be me after getting my conscience pricked by this article that I wrote.