long overdue

Listening to: the storm outside

As rightly pointed out by Eric, it's been long since I've blogged and with the tagboard down, it was hard to even trace whether anyone else (apart from Eric) had visited since. Really sorry for the lack of diligence on my part.

but guess what? it's been a year since you guys have left the college.. i'm sure that u guys must have settled down into the new chapter of your life pretty well..i understand that some of you are having your holidays now, so do enjoy that break. guys - hang in there yah? just one more yr! (or slightly more for others)

for a moment, i have no inkling what i should blog about. must the torrential rain outside washing out my thoughts.

till another time then :)

preamble to journalism

Listening to: The All-American Rejects' Move Along

A teacher's job is never easy. Every time you think your students are mature enough, they prove to you otherwise. Sometimes you think they can be trusted, but they come up with all sorts of ridiculous antics. Life is supposed to be simple, but why does Man like to complicate things? I do wonder when my patience will ever run out. That's a scary thought.

Oh okay, I didn't start off wanting to blog about this. But it just came out. Ha. for a moment, I considered deleting.. but never mind, you bunch should be able to empathise? :) So sorry to those who have signed up for teaching as a career, the above pre-amble is not meant to discourage you k?

So ryan asked about my journalism career. Where do I start?
The reasons why I wanted to be a journo were aplenty:
1. I have a cousin who's a journalist. I respected him and his influence helped to make the decision;
2. I thought journalism was cool, glam, and everything a gung-ho person would relish;
3. My uni mates wanted to be journalists too..so we went for the interview together.
4. They said that it was difficult to get into S*H, and so when they offered me a job, I was flattered and just had to say yes. (yah, I know, so self-absorbed)

the career lasted an entire three years. When I decided to leave, my ex-boss said he supported my decision. he said: "You are a good reporter, but you'll have problems becoming the best. Because you lack ruthlessness." For a moment, I didn't know if that was a compliment.

But for three years, I hardly had a social life (outside the newsroom). Life was exciting, hectic and I learnt and changed so much in the short three years. But in the end, I packed up and left. And when asked if I hated the job, that's why I left, the answer's no. I loved my previous job. Really.

But if I started to share stories now, this post will last forever. Another day, perhaps.

ps: peiwen, was it you I saw in college recently? with the streaks in your hair?

my history, my story

Listening to: Goo Goo Dolls' Iris

After two weeks of non-stop marking, I've finally found time to blog again.
And just as I was wondering what to blog about, Alyssa came to the rescue with her question on the tagboard. So let's see how I'm going to answer this. What was my dream course and job?

Well, as a young child, I dreamt of being a lawyer. The only reason I can remember is because it seemed like a cool job to have. And it involved talking, just my kind of thing. But as I entered secondary school, I soon realised that it wasn't easy being a lawyer. I began to understood how difficult the job could be - esp when dealing with morals. For example, would I defend a person whom I believed was guilty? If I were to agree, would I be able to do a good job? And of course, someone told me that not all lawyers get to work in court. Okay, cool factor cooled off.

In JC, I told myself that getting into Communications Studies would be my dream course. Why? Because I wanted to be a journalist. Then I couldn't get in. Ha :) I wasn't brilliant in Chemistry and a lot of other stuff. So oh well, I entered Arts and Soci in NUS.

Even though FASS wasn't my first choice. I think I had consciously made sure that I was going to enjoy myself in university and still work hard, in order to make up for the lack of As at the A levels. I did work hard at uni and did better than i had ever expected :)

In the end, I still manage my first dream job: a journalist. Actually, at the time of graduation, I toyed with the idea of teaching. But decided that my youth was probably better spent at journalism, cos it seemed a tougher vocation. And today, i'm a teacher.

Sure hope I didn't bore you fellas.
You are at a crossroads that I was at (many) years before.
From this moment on, make sure you will walk on a road that will not leave you any regrets. I wouldn't be able to promise a smooth journey, but if you don't even try, then remember: You'll only be a failure if you choose to give up.

trust me to nag even when telling you my history.

updates

Listening to: Death Cab for Cutie's I Will Follow You Until The Dark

Now that's a seriously weird name for a band. Doesn't seem to mean a thing, but oh well, there's how things are these days right? What might seem meaningless to some of us, could turn out to be a real hip thing for others.

Well, yes, Eric, I was sick for the past two weeks actually :( you have great insider info though, so who's your spy?!! Anyway, the weather's been cranky here, so I started feeling sick during the last week of school. Took two days of MC that particular week (and u guys should know that I hardly take MCs unless I'm really sick).. and then, just as I thought I was getting better, I decided I needed some sunshine, so I went out cycling. and guess what, it rained on me. So obviously I caught a cold (again!). Colds are horrid horrid things.. but I refused to let it get it my way, so I took my cold with me to my HK trip with my family. Yes, it seemed a little irresponsible of me and I was really freaked out by the HK thermal scan. Was really hoping I didn't turn out red and HK immigration might refuse me entry. But I got through and now I'm back here in Singapore and feeling a whole load better..

so here I am, rambling to you guys.. :)
just one and a half weeks later, it'll be back to school for me. The mid-years are here so there'll be a whole load of marking, waiting for me. Term 3, as we all remember, will usually be another busy busy term.

how about you guys? hey, do email me to give me an update on your life yah? like what've you been busy with now? or what your future holds for u? Just remember to email me at my gmail.com account k?

hope to hear from you guys

It's not a PH today!

Listening to: The rumbling of the traffic by the road

guess wat? It takes an MC for me to find time to come to this little place to dust the cobwebs off :)

sorry guys, it's just been so terribly busy this term that i haven't quite found time to breathe.

well, my life surrounded boring stuff, sure hope you people are having time to enjoy yourself, to have a little fun now and then.

Anyone thought of me during elections time? heh

See You Soon!

Listening to: Robbie William's Mr Bojangles

To answer Eric, nope, i've not started on setting a new blog for the new students. First three months..think they're still in a rather lalala mood. Probably will only really start after the mid-years? :)

And so i guess you've all heard, the results will be out on march 1st, wed. see you guys in school k? will be more than glad to see all of you (yes, i mean it) back :)

the hustle and bustle of life

Listening to: Some random cny song

Now, now, where shall i start with this entry?

well, strange it seems how i manage to find time to blog only when it's a public holiday. that can't be good.. cos it'd mean my next entry may only come by in april!! :P will definitely try to avoid that..

again, thanks for all the tagging :)
one thing that has struck me in the past month is the number of you who have gone to become relief teachers :) reading vanessa's comment brought a smile to my face..and meeting some of you in school.. made me think: "wow.. have i played a part to make teaching look so enjoyable that you guys went to take it up?" yes, the money's pretty good..but as you guys might have realised, the money might not be that easy to earn?

so for those out there who want some tips/insights on being a teacher - well, i've always said that teaching is a tough job. It's one of those jobs that you are not quite allowed to have a bad day. so for example, no matter how upset you feel about your personal matters, you cannot bring those emotions along into the classroom. Simply because the students will not benefit. So teachers have to be rather good actors (tho' i can't act on a real stage) and good managers of their emotions.

if you have to teach the unruly classes of normal (academic) and normal (technical).. i've taught them before.. remember that most of them might have been condemned by their teachers.. so going there to scream and shout at them just wouldn't help. When it comes to these classes, treating them with RESPECT is all what it counts. Once you earn that respect, you would see that they'll try to behave for your sake. It takes time, so be patient.

but is the world of teaching so different from other fields of profession?
suddenly, it strikes me that so many of my students are now in the working world, being exposed to the elements. I've heard complaints of "exploitation" and "mistreatment"..but do hang in there.. i've been through that phase myself.

The world of the school is a protected one, no matter what you think. Though you hated the four walls that seemed to close down on you every single day, it was one which was a comforting environment and one that sought to protect you from harm. now that the walls have disappeared to reveal the world outside, we now miss those times. ..

but what's most important is the values and lessons we have tried to impart to you in those two years... there's nothing we can do to try and make sure that the transition to the "real world" is a seamless one.. but i can only hope the lessons taught and in some way i'd managed to influence you.. for the world may change but you don't have to..

on an another note, have started lessons with my new students.. and erm, yes, unashamedly, i shall say, "i really do miss you guys" :)