the upside of down

Official Bye-bye

2010-12-29T09:27:00.002+08:00

Hey folks...I wanted to close down this blog officially for a while but never got around to doing it :P Anyway, it's been fun keeping this up and keeping in touch with all of you even after graduation. Look for me on FB and we can continue to keep in touch there. Continue to put into practice what you've learnt in GP and keep current!

All the best to all of you!

Iron baby

2010-06-24T13:15:00.002+08:00

Ha, I didn't get the chance to watch Ironman 2 but this Iron baby video is so hilarious it kinda makes up for it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyoA4LXQco4

This other vid that is a great ad for the ipad is fantastic too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATpSPNIuj3M

E-mail etiquette

2010-06-08T20:22:00.002+08:00

ha, i'm gonna show this to my current students...let's not forget that emails are still meant to be a form of communication so certain etiquette needs to be followed...so sad that some people don't realise it

10 Rules of E-mail Etiquette

Michael S. Wade, On Saturday 5 June 2010, 1:59 SGT

Since E-mail is not going away any time soon, it makes sense to develop some ground rules for its usage. Here are 10 that I try to follow:

1. Do not use E-mail for sensitive subjects or topics that may be especially susceptible to misinterpretation.

[See 15 essentials for getting hired.]

2. Do not use E-mail if you are having a difference of opinion with the other person. It is very easy to come across as curt or uncaring in an E-mail message. Schedule a meeting with the person or pick up the phone.

3. Scrutinize the tone of your E-mails. Recognize that the receiver cannot hear your tone of voice and may not spot irony or humor.

4. Don't put anything in an E-mail that you wouldn't want to read on the front page of the newspaper or while sitting on the witness stand.

[See why most CEOs are nice.]

5. Be wary of forwarding E-mails unless you are certain that the sender would not mind if the message were forwarded. I've received forwarded E-mails that contained some rather personal comments in addition to the business content. I doubt if the author of the original message wanted me to know about her family situation.

6. If you want an E-mail to be regarded as urgent, then label it as such. Regard non-urgent messages the same way you'd regard regular mail and don't expect a reply within hours.

7. Beware of using text messaging abbreviations with people who might find it to be unprofessional, confusing or abrupt. I recently received an E-mail from a customer service department that was written in "textese." I thought it was funny but not everyone would have that reaction.

[See 12 ways to be miserable at work.]

8. Unless the person is on the other side of the world, the fewer messages, the better. If you need to communicate so much with someone who is just down the hall, go see the person.

9. Beware of rushed messages. Those are the ones you are most likely to regret.

10. Forgive notes that seem unpleasant or out of character. We all have days in which we need people to cut us some slack. Unless it is extreme, don't let one note ruin a relationship.

Michael Wade writes Execupundit.com, an eclectic combination of management advice, observations, and links. A partner with the Phoenix firm of Sanders Wade Rodarte Consulting Inc., he has advised private and public-sector organizations for more than 30 years.

April Fools joke!

2010-06-01T23:16:00.001+08:00

It's the holidays! Hmm...it's been a while since I've updated this...haven't really had the time to put anything interesting up and have been struggling with my marking over the last term. Hopefully there'll be more interesting things happening this June hols for me to share with all of you.

Anyway, here's a pretty cool video of an April Fools' joke by a teacher. Quite a lot of work for an April Fools' joke ha! I've never played one on my teachers or students and haven't had any real ones played on me yet...good to keep it that way! Anyway, enjoy the clip and enjoy your hols!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blOrY-nEGaE

be careful...

2010-05-10T22:15:00.003+08:00

In just 3 months, I've had a young friend with serious injuries because of a car accident and attended the funeral of a student who was knocked down by a vehicle. Please be careful, whether you are a pedestrian or a driver. Singapore roads are not as safe as they look :(

internships

2010-04-13T21:53:00.001+08:00

Opportunities like this make me wish I was still a student / fresh grad :)

http://www.statravel.com.sg/cps/rde/xchg/sg_division_web_live/hs.xsl/workingholiday.htm

Sad video

2010-04-13T21:39:00.002+08:00

It's sad how war makes people so fearful they lose their senses and judgement...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20001802-38.html

taiwanese susan boyle

2010-04-10T22:27:00.003+08:00

The Taiwanese Susan Boyle....he's really not bad, although I find it a little disturbing that he sounds like both a male and a female :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-tOsM6F4Y

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

2010-04-02T07:12:00.002+08:00

we live in an age when evidence counts for much....ha, even in GP we ask for e.g.s and evidence. although scientific evidence cannot be found for every aspect of Christianity...it's without a doubt that nothing that has been found (with certainty) so far has debunked what Christians believe...they have all supported it instead. Here's an article that gives objective and logical evidence for Jesus' death & resurrection...happy easter!

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

We all wonder what will happen to us after we die. When a loved one dies, we long to see them again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness?

Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.

But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheistic philosopher, Bertrand Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive.”¹ Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words.

Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive to them after his crucifixion and burial. They claim to have not only seen him, but also to have eaten with him, touched him, and spent 40 days with him.

So could this have been simply a story that grew over time, or is it based upon solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead, it would validate everything he said about himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after death.

If Jesus did rise from the dead then he alone would have the answers to what life is about and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded upon a lie. Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way:

“The claim of resurrection is vital to Christianity. If Christ has been raised from the dead by God, then He has the credentials and certification that no other religious leader possesses. Buddha is dead. Mohammad is dead. Moses is dead. Confucius is dead. But, according to…Christianity, Christ is alive.”²

Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such skeptic who spent more than seven hundred hours researching the evidence for the resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding the importance of the resurrection:

“I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history.”³

So, is Jesus' resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions. Let’s see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves.

Click here to continue reading "Did Jesus rise from the dead?"

Are you afraid of death?

2010-04-01T23:21:00.002+08:00

Is there really anything to fear about death?

Come and find out more!

Venue: 5 Tavistock Ave Serangoon Gardens

Call me if you want to go but don't know the directions :)

updates...

2010-03-27T00:51:00.002+08:00

i wish i can find a way to make everyone pass GP! sigh...this is so difficult...

anyway, there's gonna be a cafe in school soon! yayy! ice-cream, brownies, cookies and most importantly, food available after 3.30pm everyday! it's called 'good news cafe' and is certainly great news!

btw, anyone wants a job at a childcare centre (ages 1.5 - 6yrs old) ? my friend runs one near school and they are looking for helpers. i'm trying to help her find someone reliable. if you are interested, just drop me an sms :)

what an inane post...i promise to post something more interesting and enriching in the near future!

Results!!

2010-03-04T23:10:00.000+08:00

Results out tomorrow!!! Aargh!!!

Migrant-style Chinese Worker

2010-02-07T22:00:00.001+08:00

I can't seem to find this online book...maybe 'cos it's quite likely to be in Chinese. I'm hoping it'll be published in English 'cos it sounds pretty interesting:

Man to publish his life story as a migrant worker in Fujian

A bespectacled 31-year-old man from Sichuan province has been dubbed the voice of 200 million migrant workers after writing about his life in a popular online blog.

Zhou Shuheng, whose story will now be published into a book, tells of how he left his home at 16 and began life as a migrant worker in Fujian province.

A Beijing-based publishing house decided to publish the book, titled Chinese-style Migrant Worker, because it told the story of a migrant worker, from a migrant worker's perspective, for the first time.

More than 500,000 netizens have read his online blog, and have dubbed him the "spokesman for about 200 million Chinese migrant workers".

Zhou said that he began writing in May 2008 when he again found himself unemployed. He brought a second-hand computer with his savings and wrote about his life at night.

During the daytime, Zhou said he worked as a salesman so he had enough money for food and for his 300 yuan monthly rent.

"Chinese migrant workers don't have our own books, and I hope my endeavor could attract more social concern about us," he told Guangzhou Daily newspaper.

"About 80 percent of material in the book is based on my personal experience or the stories of other migrant workers around me. I can't help crying when I recall some details."

In one translated passage in the book, Zhou describes a mother with her young children: "The mother was collecting garbage at a construction site. A child walked hand in hand with her, and a younger one lay on her back."

Zhou said he was born into a poor family and he left middle school after his mother died in an accident.

"I used to be attracted to migrant workers' lives, as their image and attire became fashionable when they returned to my hometown," he said.

However, the reality was much tougher for Zhou as he struggled to survive on 20 yuan ($ 3) a month for work in a plastic products factory.

"I could not breathe in the smelly factory! I should get 100 yuan a month, but the factory told me I owed them 80 yuan according to the ridiculous payroll," he said.

He frequently changed jobs and learned to use a computer during a stint as a salesman.

Zhou hopes income from the book will lead to a more secure life.

"I could use the income from a book to repair a house in the countryside. I feel unsafe without a home in which to settle down."

how far does one scold kids...

2010-02-04T18:39:00.002+08:00

Sigh, I hate scolding students. and it doesn't help when they are defensive and make me think I accused them wrongly. It makes me feel very bad for the rest of the day. I've always thought I'm pretty good with disciplining children...but correcting youths is so much more complicated and tricky. Sometimes I don't really know what to say to convince them. It's so difficult not to lose my temper when I'm actually really short-tempered.

Anyone has any suggestions? :P

it's been some time...

2010-02-03T23:13:00.002+08:00

Goodness! I haven't been up here for such a long time! I was thinking of letting this die a natural death, but it's such a waste...and I won't be able to keep in contact with some of you. Things have been moving really slowly. What a dilemma - I wish time will pass slowly so I can have more time to do the many different things I've got, yet I wish it'll move much faster so I can get the pain of 'getting to know new students' behind me and have more fun with them. Of course, having the CNY hols just round the corner makes time seem to move so much more slowly than ever!!

When I'm busy, I have a tendency to be distracted and browse inconsequential websites. Stumbled across this one http://www.sqwidget.com/ Quite interesting gifts (I'm not doing advertising here. No commission :))

random musings

2010-01-04T13:02:00.001+08:00

i just realised most of you are turning 21 this yr! Aargh, that makes me even older! :)

decade in 7 minutes

2010-01-04T12:58:00.002+08:00

It feels good not to have to go to school when the rest of the world (Singapore actually :)) does. For those who don't know, JCs start 1 week later than everyone else! Yayy!

Anyway, it's just 1 week extra to plan for lessons...am teaching J2s again this yr so it's gonna be a mad race starting next week. I'm gonna start by screening this video to the kids...very fast, makes you giddy thinking of all the things that happened in the past decade...enjoy!

http://2010.newsweek.com/video/decade-in-seven-minutes.html

get more fresh air in the new yr!

2009-12-31T11:31:00.002+08:00

more sesame street! ha, really remembering the old days...
anyway, a good reminder to get more sun and fresh air in the new yr!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrqF7yD10Bo

interesting clip & slideshow

2009-12-27T22:43:00.003+08:00

I learnt my ABCs watching Big Bird but I've never read it this way before!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr5er4ueWBQ

These pictures are pretty nice...a good reminder of the key events of the decade

http://english.cctv.com/photo/album/20091224/103461_0.shtml

Christmas!

2009-12-27T22:29:00.001+08:00

This is a little late but...have a joyful Christmas and a great 2010!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10FF-FQfs

ageing...yikes!

2009-12-27T21:28:00.002+08:00

the passing of yet another yr...and a reminder of how i'm hitting the big 3-0 very soon :( some random thoughts on ageing

- just realised that most of the guys of this batch are ord-ing soon, which means i've kept this blog for 2 plus years! what a feat! hmm...not sure how long i can keep this going :P

- i met my jc civics tutor during a course the other day. ha, i wasn't a particularly outstanding student so she couldn't quite remember me...but it was quite nice to catch up. just wonder how it'll be to meet my own students in future...will they want to approach me or will they pretend they don't know me?!

- was talking to another colleague about how there seem to be times when people around you seem to be moving on but you seem to be left behind. oh well, guess that's bound to happen sometimes 'cos it is pretty tiring to have to keep up with people all the time :)

more 3D pics

2009-11-27T09:03:00.003+08:00

it's been a long tim since i've posted anything...have been really busy with end-of-yr stuff. sigh, going on SL trip next wk so hols don't really start till 20 dec after i come back...that's really not much of a holiday!

anyway, when i first started this blog, i posted some 3D chalk drawings. someone sent me another set...enjoy :)

farewell video

2009-10-23T06:52:00.003+08:00

the j2s had their graduation ceremony last week and as usual, the graduation video was the highlight...there were some good ones, especially from the math & physics dept. ha, our gp dept is usually more serious...our video this yr was based on some kind of nightmare...was not too bad :)

anyway, here's the mjc's maths dept video. it's quite good...but the song is a bit too long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh5knCxsMRo

counting down...

2009-10-20T21:14:00.002+08:00

sigh...suddenly realised fear can make one really tired...i'm pretty scared for this batch of gp kids...and the pw kids too. spend so much time worrying about them i get too tired to do anything when i get home. think i'll really have to take mc next year when the results come out. sigh...can't relax during hols either 'cos i'll be bringing kids on isle. i think i've really bitten off more than i can chew :P when will this yr end!!?

My sister's keeper

2009-10-15T06:01:00.002+08:00

haha...i actually like some violent movies but agree with sL that it can be stressful. anyway, i went for the preview of my sister's keeper, based on the book by jodi picoult. it's a weepie and more for the girls (sorry, stereotyping!) but examines quite an interesting issue (won't spoil the movie for you, go watch it to find out :)). picoult is not a bad writer although she deals with some pretty bizarre issues at times!

More on Moore

2009-10-15T05:58:00.002+08:00

I've been getting regular updates from Michael Moore's (you know the guy who made Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 911?) websites and found some of them quite interesting. Some of you might want to check it out http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Of course he has a tendency to rant and rave, but there is some food for thought too :)

School Answering Machine

2009-10-07T06:54:00.001+08:00

I love this! Wish we have this in school :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwghabw4N80

movies

2009-09-30T22:04:00.006+08:00

it's been a long while since i've updated this blog...hmm...wonder whether there's still anyone reading it :)

anyway, i was trying to relax after prelim marking but made the mistake of watching 2 horrendously violent (from my point of view at least...most of my colleagues begged to differ. they claimed there wasn't enough brain- and gut-spewing!) movies back-to-back. had a terrible headache after that. need some mindless cartoon to clear my mind...can't wait for 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs' to open!

anyway, here's a brief 'movie review':

Movie 1: given my personality, Inglourious Basterds would not have been my first choice of movie (simply because of it's title!), but for some unknown reason, i thought it was a war movie based on a true story...sigh...

i won't say it's a bad movie...it can be funny at times. but it left me feeling rather uncomfortable. somehow a spoof about WWII doesn't really seem appropriate when real people have died. it seems to make fun of issues like patriotism, changes in people's psyche during wars etc...and the violence just seemed unnecessary, gross and humourless

Movie 2: Gamer's trailer looked so promising i recommended it to my students. hopefully they don't remember my recommendation! the premise is quite interesting, because it dealt with people's obsession with virtual reality, issues of exploitation and subversion. but the shaky shooting style gave me a headache and it was simply too graphic for me.

is it just me or are movies these days getting more violent and increasingly bizarre. the other movie that seems to have great promise is 'surrogates'...hopefully it will be more thought-provoking than just bomb blasts and gore :P

amazing woman

2009-09-19T08:11:00.002+08:00

sigh...haven't had time to update this blog for a while. have a few things that i want to put up but will have to wait till i get most of my prelim marking out of the way first :)

but here's one that is pretty touching...i thank God for giving me all 4 limbs, but the tenacity this woman shows in using her legs is pretty amazing!

http://www.elegantbay.com/main/amazingwoman.htm

Down, but not out...

2009-09-05T23:30:00.004+08:00

this article reminds me of the time when i was surviving on granola bars and tv dinners in Toronto:)

Down, but not out, in Toronto
Lee Wei Ling / ST / 30/08/09

Hardship builds character – hopefully, S'pore youth can learn similar life lessons

In 1992, I was training at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children, a world-class children's hospital better known by its nickname "Sick Kids". I was there to learn about the treatment of children with severe epilepsy.

At that time, Toronto was one of the most expensive cities in the Western world. I anticipated needing C$2,000 a month for my expenses.

I arrived in Toronto at the end of December 1991. After getting my student identity card, I rushed over to the YMCA to join, paying the student rate of C$300 per year. I was able to exercise at the YMCA the very next day – New Year's Day.

I initially stayed in an apartment belonging to a friend who was visiting his family in Singapore then. I had had little experience in cooking but decided it could not be too difficult to use heat to turn raw meat into edible food.

I walked to Toronto's Chinatown and saw live fish being sold for C$1 each. I decided I could not possibly get a better deal and bought one. When I got back to the apartment, the fish was still wriggling.

I suddenly remembered I had never cooked a fish, much less killed and cleaned a live one. I did my best, used a meat cleaver to chop off the head and cleaned out the innards. It was messy.

Then I put the fish in boiling water and poked it every now and then to test whether it was cooked. When I was satisfied that it was, I carefully removed it from the pot, let it cool and ate the fish with light soya sauce, for I found no other seasoning in my friend's larder. The fish tasted awful, but I had my dose of protein for the day.

On Jan 2, I began looking for an apartment to rent near Sick Kids. I found one located between the YMCA and the hospital, a five-minute walk from both. It was a bedsitter, which I rented for C$650 a month.

My days would begin with me waiting outside the YMCA with a small group of regulars at 5.45am for its doors to open at 6am. During the winter months, waiting outside was usually a painfully cold experience. But exercise addicts are an eccentric lot.

By 8.45am, I would have burnt 1,200 calories on the step-master while reading a textbook on epilepsy, swum 2km, showered and changed, and walked briskly to Sick Kids. Work at the hospital was over by 5pm.

I planned to take an examination in both adult and paediatric electroencephalogram (better known as EEG). This is a test that measures the electrical activities of brain cells – a useful and at times crucial test to determine whether a patient has epilepsy, and if so, what kind of epilepsy.

I approached a neurologist at Western General Hospital who was knowledgeable about adult EEGs and he agreed to be my mentor. To save on bus fare and also not to waste time, I would run from Sick Kids to Western General Hospital. I counted the 20 to 30 minutes it took to do that as part of my exercise quota for the day.

I would then start going through the EEGs for the day before the neurologist came in at around 6.30pm. Then we would go through the EEGs together and he would probe my interpretations.

I never knew whether he knew who my father was. I was very grateful to him as I was not working at Western General Hospital and it was not his responsibility to teach me. Teaching me prolonged his day.

We were usually done by 9pm and I would run back to my apartment. This was why I cooked only once a week.

I skipped breakfast and lunch. For dinner, I adopted the following strategy to satisfy my nutritional needs:

I would buy seven pieces of chicken legs each week. On Sunday, I would roast all seven legs and store them in the refrigerator. It usually took about 45 minutes for the chicken legs to be properly cooked. During that time, I would do my laundry and clean and tidy the apartment.

The rest of the week, when I came home in the evening, I would defrost a chicken leg in the microwave oven – and that was my protein for the day.

Occasionally, the supermarket would advertise cheap salmon. These were tiny but contained enough protein for two days. I would ask the man at the supermarket to chop the salmon into two equal halves. I then stored about four or five of these pieces in my freezer. Before I left in the morning for the YMCA, I would take a piece from the freezer and put it into the refrigerator to defrost. All I needed to do for dinner was microwave the salmon and eat it with soya sauce.

In addition to protein, I needed vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates.

Chinatown was cheaper than my nearest supermarket. I would do my marketing there once a week, even when it was minus 20 deg C outside, and the distance from my apartment to Chinatown was twice that to the nearest supermarket. I never ate out except when invited to do so.

The reader can understand now how I lived on C$1,000 a month. I felt no hardship or deprivation living that way. But that amount was considered barely above the poverty level in Toronto at that time.

Fast forward 17 years: I observe with anxiety how Singapore's Generation Y seems to take the luxuries of life for granted.

It now seems the current economic downturn may be over sooner than initially predicted. Influenza A (H1N1) is still a concern, though not yet a serious one. I would not have minded if the economy had remained poor for a few more months.

Hardship builds character. Gen Y has never encountered hardship. What will Singapore be like 50 or 100 years from now if we do not have resilient citizens who understand that hardship is an inescapable fact of life? What will become of us if we became incapable of looking after ourselves, expecting that the Government will always look after us?

have a nice day

2009-08-24T06:15:00.001+08:00

since most of you have just started school, probably the stress level isn't v high yet ha...but just something to remember whenever we feel like complaining...even for the ns men! for me, am just hoping to survive 1 more week...hols are coming, can't wait!

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD

P.S. And, remember....
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.

deluxe hug

2009-08-24T06:11:00.002+08:00

this is pretty funny...will you go for the free hug or the deluxe hug??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJfYAJJYMqg

public service!

2009-08-16T23:07:00.003+08:00

sigh...i must be getting old...couldn't quite communicate with my cousins (who are between 18-23) during a family dinner! yikes, generation gap is getting bigger! am having problems understanding my j1 kids too...sigh...hopefully they become more mature in j2 :P

anyway, i've been wanting to post this article in case anyone's still applying for scholarships... i'm not a big fan of psc 'cos they didn't give me a scholarship (ha, still upset after so many years :)) also wanna know whether those of you who are on psc scholarship think this article is really true?

Want a PSC scholarship? Be yourself

The Straits Times 25/07/2009

Politically correct replies undermine applicants' integrity, says chairman

BY GOH CHIN LIAN
SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

GIVE us the real you, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has urged youths aspiring to be government scholars.

In an open letter to schools, PSC chairman Eddie Teo described how some would give "politically correct" answers and appear to be pro-Government, thinking that would impress the interview panel.

In doing so, "they often end up giving the impression that they have no integrity", he said yesterday in a letter that spelt out how scholars are selected, the qualities the panel looks for, and how to prepare for the interview.

Topping the list of desired qualities is integrity, followed by commitment. Skills such as leadership and emotional quotient, or EQ, matter too.

Mr Teo's eight-page letter gives a rare glimpse into the selection process for what many see as some of the most prestigious awards in Singapore, showing especially how the civil service finds its top talents. It comes ahead of today's PSC scholarship ceremony when 84 will receive their awards from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Mr Teo, a former intelligence chief and permanent secretary who was appointed PSC chairman last August, elaborated on his letter in an e-mail reply to The Straits Times.

He said "quite a few" candidates grew uncomfortable when asked if they would act against someone in authority.

One candidate, for instance, was asked what he would do if he found his superior was corrupt. He refused to answer, "saying he disliked dealing with such a case".

Most of the Don'ts Mr Teo highlighted had to do with candidates trying to second-guess the interview panel.

His main tip to 18-year-olds being interviewed: Be yourself – even if it means revealing a critical and sceptical side.

"Being critical means you care about our nation and want to improve things and correct what you think is wrong. Being sceptical means you are not naive and do not accept everything you read or hear."

The public service is not looking for conformists and "yes-men", he said, but people who dared to think and question existing policies.

"Even a few mavericks – people with unconventional viewpoints who are willing to challenge assumptions – will be useful because they will add vitality and diversity to the service."

He added: "We need to know the real you to decide if you have what it takes to be a good public servant and a potential public sector leader."

An "interesting conversation" is really what the PSC hopes for. He said: "We will begin to take notice when we hear something genuine and spontaneous being said which reflects your personality."

This year, more than 2,500 students applied for PSC scholarships and 350 were shortlisted for an interview. Finally, 84 made the cut.

Besides the interview, often lasting about 30 minutes, the PSC also pored over reports from teachers and test results of psychologists.

Mr Teo reminded teachers in particular to be objective in their assessments.

"They should not exaggerate the strong qualities they see in their favourite students as it could be counter-productive, raising our expectations of the candidate when the reality does not fit the hype.

"Nor should teachers be over-critical just because a student is a bit of a maverick. As long as they do not have a problem with integrity, these are talented outliers whom our system must be flexible enough to fish out eventually."

He assured candidates, parents and schools that the selection process was "impartial, robust and meritocratic".

At stake is the kind of leaders Singapore would have in the public service in 15 to 20 years' time, said Mr Teo.

If the selection is done well, many of the scholars will helm the public service as permanent secretaries and deputy secretaries, he added.

Still, some may get derailed in their careers due to poor supervisors or a bad job fit. "But the PSC must share responsibility if we miss a fatal character flaw or are misled by false pretences," he said.

WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR 'YES-MEN'

"The worst case of someone who was trying to be 'politically correct' that I can recall was a candidate who said he would obey authority even if he disagrees with a particular instruction given to him. I was appalled when the candidate went on to reply that if he were to work in a government ministry and was told by his superior to award a development contract to his superior's friend, he would comply because it was an instruction from a person in authority. Clearly, he thought the PSC is looking for someone who is totally compliant and completely obedient."

PSC chairman Eddie Teo

MR TEO TELLS WHAT THE PSC LOOKS FOR

INTEGRITY: Integrity is vital. Although pragmatism is a pillar in the governance of Singapore, it is dangerous to have the country governed by public servants who are unprincipled pragmatists.

The person with integrity will challenge the rules if they go against his values and principles. But how he challenges the rules is also important, for it reveals how shrewd and street-savvy he is and the level of his Emotional Quotient or EQ.

COMMITMENT: The candidate's level of commitment in serving the community serves as a proxy indicator of his commitment to public service. How committed is he to his community involvement programme? What is his motive for taking part in it? Does he truly enjoy serving the less fortunate or is he doing it primarily to make his CV look good? What reasons does he give for wanting to join the public service? Do they ring true or is he saying what he thinks we want to hear?

ABILITY: A person of integrity and commitment will make only a limited contribution if he does not have innate ability: the ability to analyse issues, to come up with creative ideas, to perceive opportunities, to solve problems, to motivate others, and to get things done. But ability is not measured only by academic results.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS: Is he a consultative and nurturing leader or is he an assertive and task-focused one? We favour no single leadership model because the public service is looking for a diversity of leaders.

EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT: EQ - the ability to understand yourself and to interact well with your environment - is increasingly recognised as a vital ingredient for successful leaders and managers. Studies have shown that successful corporate CEOs do not need to have the highest IQ, or even relevant experience, to reach the top and be successful. But without EQ, they often fail.

in the news...

2009-08-16T23:04:00.001+08:00

just posting this 'cos it's something i never thought will happen in Singapore :P

Teacher who amended PSLE scripts sentenced to 8 weeks’ jail

Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, August 15

SINGAPORE: A Tamil teacher who pleaded guilty to altering Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) scripts has been sentenced to eight weeks in jail.

In 2007, Shanti Krishnasamy altered the Tamil language answer scripts of some of her pupils at Canberra Primary School.

In court on Friday, she was dressed in black and accompanied by several friends and family members.

Her defence lawyer Subhas Anandan had requested for a lenient sentence, saying his client was suffering from major depression and was trying to cope with her daughter who has leukaemia.

When sentencing, Judge May Mesenas said Singapore is a meritocratic society and a message must be sent out to ensure that the public’s confidence in the teaching profession is upheld.

The Education Ministry said Shanti has been suspended from duty pending court proceedings. Following that, MOE will decide on an appropriate course of disciplinary action.

Mr Anandan said his client is planning on spending more time with her family and to give private tuition after completing her jail sentence.

— CNA/so

NDP song

2009-08-01T16:24:00.000+08:00

Ha, mr brown's version of this year's NDP theme song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTnvqQFFc1c

Movie recommendation: Food, Inc

2009-08-01T16:09:00.005+08:00

Am having a headache just thinking of the marking looming ahead in the coming weeks...sigh, i can't decide whether to ask the students to do more 'cos they need more practice...or to let them be so i won't die of marking :P PW's another big headache that just doesn't seem to go away, yikes!

anyway, for those lucky people out there still waiting for school to start, can someone watch this and tell me whether it's worth watching? as a self-confessed carnivore and fast-food lover, i'm not sure whether i want to watch something that may make me feel obliged to stay off meat/junk food ha.

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Their website has quite interesting resources and discussions on food issues: http://www.foodincmovie.com/

national day is coming again!

2009-07-28T19:39:00.002+08:00

Can't wait for National Day hols! Anyway, here's the old debate on what makes a good National Day song...and a few alternatives! Which do you prefer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIW7i0UT5j0

http://www.mrbrownshow.com/2008/08/08/the-mrbrown-show-love-song-for-singapore/

While local indie rock band Electrico's song, What Do You See, is this year's National Day Parade (NDP) theme song, it has drawn flak from some detractors who feel the four-minute-long soft rock tune is not 'catchy' enough.

Enter Things So Singaporean, an upbeat ditty posted on YouTube that waxes lyrical about everything from the uncles and aunties buying lottery, to the durians keeping the Merlion company.

According to some local blogs, the song was composed and sung by Ann Hussein, with lyrics written by Judith d'Silva.

Since it was uploaded on YouTube in December last year, the song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIW7i0UT5j0) has garnered more than 9,000 page views, with rave reviews praising its quirky lyrics, and its catchy tune, compared to Electrico's tune.

Gushed one netizen: "This song should have been our National Day song this year.... Very Original and soooo.... Singapore..... GREAT!!!!!!!"

Elsewhere in the blogosphere, some netizens have even suggested that this little-known song be made the NDP theme instead, or at least, be featured as part of the NDP festivities.

On social networking site Facebook, a group with 277 members sought to garner support to make the song one of the official songs of NDP 2009.

The song was also featured on the N.E.mation! III website, which is for youths to express their ideas on Total Defence through animation'.

Electrico has graced previous NDPs as a fringe act. According to the band's frontman David Tan, What Do You See took about two weeks to write.

The band was originally formed in 1996 under the name Electric Company, which was shortened to Electric Co, and finally, Electrico.

From Straits Times, "The other NDP song?".

Obama kills fly

2009-07-03T09:25:00.002+08:00

When the American president kills a fly on national TV, this is what happens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sV3_LUBGTU&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHitDOnMX2o

A certain frisson that sparks you alive

2009-06-26T00:02:00.002+08:00

I like reading Lee Wei Ling's column in the Sunday papers...it makes the Lee family seem so much more down-to-earth haha. Anyway, here's one article that I liked:

June 21, 2009

A certain frisson that sparks you alive

Breathtaking views and a hint of danger prove an exhilarating tonic for the writer

By Lee Wei Ling

In June 2004, I was in Britain on business and decided to make a side trip to Fort Williams in Scotland to climb Ben Nevis.

I did my homework and read up on the climb. The guide book gave the following details: the distance of the return hike was 14.5km, the time needed to complete it was about six to eight hours; the difficulty level was 'medium-hard'; 'it is a steep, stony path and a long day to the summit of Britain - an immensely rewarding walk with unsurpassed panoramic views'.

The guide book also warned: 'Despite its popularity, a walk up 'The Ben' should not be undertaken lightly. The mountain measures in at 1,344m, the start is virtually at sea level and the ascent is continuous, all the way to the top. You should be well prepared with mountain equipment and adequate food and drink, and be warned that this mountain can be a dangerous place.'

I made two unsuccessful attempts to climb Ben Nevis on the first day I arrived at Fort Williams - once in the morning and again in the afternoon. The scenery was great during the first half of each climb but sudden rain and fog forced me to turn back both times.

It was summer, so the daylight hours were long. Even at 11pm, I was able to see Ben Nevis clearly from my hotel room at the foot of the mountain. I had a heavy dinner and decided that I would reach the summit the next day, come what may.

I set out at 7am after a drink of water. As was my habit, I had no breakfast. I decided to ignore the warning in the guidebook and climb light and fast - carrying just a bottle of water, thin woollen gloves and a light jacket in my backpack. The weather was fine and the sun well up in the sky when I began and I climbed beyond the two points where I had been forced to turn back the previous day.

Eventually, I was at an elevation where there was no vegetation other than some hardy forms of lichen on some parts of the rocky surface. Then, just as on the previous day, the weather changed suddenly and I found myself climbing against strong winds with sleet. My meagre clothing was rapidly drenched and my hands became so cold that I could not move my fingers or tie the shoelaces that had come undone. I debated whether to turn back and try again another time.

But I was not at all sure I would succeed on my next try. In any event, I was leaving Fort Williams the next day. What would I lose from not proceeding when I was in danger of hypothermia or getting lost or both? Nothing but my pride. Did my self confidence depend on success in foolhardy ventures? No, but I would certainly take pride if I did succeed in this.

My thought process was no more logical or illogical then those who decide to climb Mt Everest or ski across the North or South poles. So I stumbled on, barely able to see one metre ahead, fully aware that every treacherous step up will later necessitate an even more treacherous step down. I tried to keep clear of patches of snow while still remaining on the path. This was not always possible and my running shoes - yes, I was so foolhardy, I was wearing lighter and swifter running shoes instead of hiking boots - were soon soaked and my toes turned cold and numb.

The summit was a wasteland with the remains of the walls of the observatory that had once stood there, and several cairns scattered in a boulder-strewn moonscape. The only view I had was of more mist and fog. I decided there was nothing to gain by lingering. So I started down, my fingers and toes painful and numb from cold. The rain and sleet gradually lightened and eventually stopped. By the time I was at an elevation where there were shrubs again, the sun was beginning to emerge from the clouds. It was only 10am.

I was cautiously jubilant, thinking I was likely to finish the hike in well under six hours. But I knew the danger was not over yet. If I were overcome with hypothermia, no one would know as I had informed nobody where I was going. I walked faster as I proceeded downwards, for I was bordering on hypothermia and I wanted to get to the tavern at the bottom of the mountain as soon as possible.

Now the going was much easier and the scenery was great. True, I had seen the same landscape on my two previous attempts. But each time it was somewhat different.

Admiring scenery is like appreciating good wine. One must have a passion for it and an eye for details - like the angle of the sun, the tint of the sky, and unexpected bonus features such as the rainbow I had seen during my failed attempt the previous evening. Scenery, in addition to the hint of danger, is why I find hiking so addictive.

From this point on, the trail was easy to follow and I walked as quickly as I could. By noon, I was in the tavern, taking off as much of my wet clothing as was decent and drying them using the hand dryer in the wash room.

When I was as near dry and warm as I could be, I chatted with the lady in charge of the tavern. I told her I had just completed the climb in four hours. 'That's not bad,' she said. 'The local lads have a race up and down Ben Nevis once a year. The fastest time is always below two hours.'

I reminded myself that I was much older than those 'lads', not to mention a female. That I completed the hike in a respectable time was good enough for me. I was not out to prove myself to others. I just wanted to know how I would fare after undergoing major surgery in July 2003 and whether I had lost my nerve.

No one but me would understand why I did it. To all who asked me, my answer was: 'For some people, it takes a streak of insanity to make life worth living.'

The writer is director of the National Neuroscience Institute. Send your comments tosuntimes@sph.com.sg

watching tv

2009-06-09T22:47:00.002+08:00

One of my favourite variety shows on TV now is 'It's a small world' on Channel 8 every Tues. It's pretty hilarious to watch foreigners speaking Mandarin and they are pretty good too! Fantastic for finding out more about different cultures from exotic countries such as Romania. Go watch!

Goodbye GM

2009-06-09T09:17:00.002+08:00

Michael Moore wrote this when GM declared its bankruptcy...now, we all know Michael Moore to be rather extreme and kooky at times but he does have some interesting suggestions...what do you think?

Goodbye, GM
by Michael Moore

June 1, 2009

I write this on the morning of the end of the once-mighty General Motors. By high noon, the President of the United States will have made it official: General Motors, as we know it, has been totaled.

As I sit here in GM's birthplace, Flint, Michigan, I am surrounded by friends and family who are filled with anxiety about what will happen to them and to the town. Forty percent of the homes and businesses in the city have been abandoned. Imagine what it would be like if you lived in a city where almost every other house is empty. What would be your state of mind?

It is with sad irony that the company which invented "planned obsolescence" -- the decision to build cars that would fall apart after a few years so that the customer would then have to buy a new one -- has now made itself obsolete. It refused to build automobiles that the public wanted, cars that got great gas mileage, were as safe as they could be, and were exceedingly comfortable to drive. Oh -- and that wouldn't start falling apart after two years. GM stubbornly fought environmental and safety regulations. Its executives arrogantly ignored the "inferior" Japanese and German cars, cars which would become the gold standard for automobile buyers. And it was hell-bent on punishing its unionized workforce, lopping off thousands of workers for no good reason other than to "improve" the short-term bottom line of the corporation. Beginning in the 1980s, when GM was posting record profits, it moved countless jobs to Mexico and elsewhere, thus destroying the lives of tens of thousands of hard-working Americans. The glaring stupidity of this policy was that, when they eliminated the income of so many middle class families, who did they think was going to be able to afford to buy their cars? History will record this blunder in the same way it now writes about the French building the Maginot Line or how the Romans cluelessly poisoned their own water system with lethal lead in its pipes.

So here we are at the deathbed of General Motors. The company's body not yet cold, and I find myself filled with -- dare I say it -- joy. It is not the joy of revenge against a corporation that ruined my hometown and brought misery, divorce, alcoholism, homelessness, physical and mental debilitation, and drug addiction to the people I grew up with. Nor do I, obviously, claim any joy in knowing that 21,000 more GM workers will be told that they, too, are without a job.

But you and I and the rest of America now own a car company! I know, I know -- who on earth wants to run a car company? Who among us wants $50 billion of our tax dollars thrown down the rat hole of still trying to save GM? Let's be clear about this: The only way to save GM is to kill GM. Saving our precious industrial infrastructure, though, is another matter and must be a top priority. If we allow the shutting down and tearing down of our auto plants, we will sorely wish we still had them when we realize that those factories could have built the alternative energy systems we now desperately need. And when we realize that the best way to transport ourselves is on light rail and bullet trains and cleaner buses, how will we do this if we've allowed our industrial capacity and its skilled workforce to disappear?

Thus, as GM is "reorganized" by the federal government and the bankruptcy court, here is the plan I am asking President Obama to implement for the good of the workers, the GM communities, and the nation as a whole. Twenty years ago when I made "Roger & Me," I tried to warn people about what was ahead for General Motors. Had the power structure and the punditocracy listened, maybe much of this could have been avoided. Based on my track record, I request an honest and sincere consideration of the following suggestions:

1. Just as President Roosevelt did after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the President must tell the nation that we are at war and we must immediately convert our auto factories to factories that build mass transit vehicles and alternative energy devices. Within months in Flint in 1942, GM halted all car production and immediately used the assembly lines to build planes, tanks and machine guns. The conversion took no time at all. Everyone pitched in. The fascists were defeated.

We are now in a different kind of war -- a war that we have conducted against the ecosystem and has been conducted by our very own corporate leaders. This current war has two fronts. One is headquartered in Detroit. The products built in the factories of GM, Ford and Chrysler are some of the greatest weapons of mass destruction responsible for global warming and the melting of our polar icecaps. The things we call "cars" may have been fun to drive, but they are like a million daggers into the heart of Mother Nature. To continue to build them would only lead to the ruin of our species and much of the planet.

The other front in this war is being waged by the oil companies against you and me. They are committed to fleecing us whenever they can, and they have been reckless stewards of the finite amount of oil that is located under the surface of the earth. They know they are sucking it bone dry. And like the lumber tycoons of the early 20th century who didn't give a damn about future generations as they tore down every forest they could get their hands on, these oil barons are not telling the public what they know to be true -- that there are only a few more decades of useable oil on this planet. And as the end days of oil approach us, get ready for some very desperate people willing to kill and be killed just to get their hands on a gallon can of gasoline.

President Obama, now that he has taken control of GM, needs to convert the factories to new and needed uses immediately.

2. Don't put another $30 billion into the coffers of GM to build cars. Instead, use that money to keep the current workforce -- and most of those who have been laid off -- employed so that they can build the new modes of 21st century transportation. Let them start the conversion work now.

3. Announce that we will have bullet trains criss-crossing this country in the next five years. Japan is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its first bullet train this year. Now they have dozens of them. Average speed: 165 mph. Average time a train is late: under 30 seconds. They have had these high speed trains for nearly five decades -- and we don't even have one! The fact that the technology already exists for us to go from New York to L.A. in 17 hours by train, and that we haven't used it, is criminal. Let's hire the unemployed to build the new high speed lines all over the country. Chicago to Detroit in less than two hours. Miami to DC in under 7 hours. Denver to Dallas in five and a half. This can be done and done now.

4. Initiate a program to put light rail mass transit lines in all our large and medium-sized cities. Build those trains in the GM factories. And hire local people everywhere to install and run this system.

5. For people in rural areas not served by the train lines, have the GM plants produce energy efficient clean buses.

6. For the time being, have some factories build hybrid or all-electric cars (and batteries). It will take a few years for people to get used to the new ways to transport ourselves, so if we're going to have automobiles, let's have kinder, gentler ones. We can be building these next month (do not believe anyone who tells you it will take years to retool the factories -- that simply isn't true).

7. Transform some of the empty GM factories to facilities that build windmills, solar panels and other means of alternate forms of energy. We need tens of millions of solar panels right now. And there is an eager and skilled workforce who can build them.

8. Provide tax incentives for those who travel by hybrid car or bus or train. Also, credits for those who convert their home to alternative energy.

9. To help pay for this, impose a two-dollar tax on every gallon of gasoline. This will get people to switch to more energy saving cars or to use the new rail lines and rail cars the former autoworkers have built for them.

Well, that's a start. Please, please, please don't save GM so that a smaller version of it will simply do nothing more than build Chevys or Cadillacs. This is not a long-term solution. Don't throw bad money into a company whose tailpipe is malfunctioning, causing a strange odor to fill the car.

100 years ago this year, the founders of General Motors convinced the world to give up their horses and saddles and buggy whips to try a new form of transportation. Now it is time for us to say goodbye to the internal combustion engine. It seemed to serve us well for so long. We enjoyed the car hops at the A&W. We made out in the front -- and the back -- seat. We watched movies on large outdoor screens, went to the races at NASCAR tracks across the country, and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time through the window down Hwy. 1. And now it's over. It's a new day and a new century. The President -- and the UAW -- must seize this moment and create a big batch of lemonade from this very sour and sad lemon.

Yesterday, the last surviving person from the Titanic disaster passed away. She escaped certain death that night and went on to live another 97 years.

So can we survive our own Titanic in all the Flint Michigans of this country. 60% of GM is ours. I think we can do a better job.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

holidays!

2009-06-06T09:00:00.001+08:00

sigh...the sad life of a teacher...i'm marking Paper 2 scripts at 7am...in Phuket! Ha, well, should be thankful that at least I have the chance to be on holiday and come to Phuket. Nice place and nice beaches...but getting very very commercialised!

getting old...yikes!

2009-05-26T18:39:00.002+08:00

am feeling old...one of my students from my first batch just told me she has graduated and will be starting work soon! sigh...and the multitude of white hairs on my head doesn't help....am getting more white strands this term 'cos the stress seems to be more than the 06/07 batch. so little time yet so much to teach and re-teach. i miss the motivated and grateful students of 06/07 :) they just seem to get weirder with every passing year :P

2 more days to the mid-year paper...and the holidays!! can't wait!

Perspectives

2009-05-16T19:46:00.006+08:00

Have been going through an essay about over-reliance on technology and was discussing the article about fireballs from the sun damaging infrastructure and electrical lines in 2012, wrecking our technology and creating havoc (can't really remember the details ha, but think it's something like that).

Well, guess we don't have to go to that extent to see how technology has affected our lives - a primary school boy came to me today and told me that the toilet bowl at the tuition centre has 'hanged', when he means it was clogged...to them, anything that's spoilt 'hangs', like a computer!! Oh well, that's the computer/Internet generation for you!

Anyway, for all you free people out there, here's something fun that was covered in NYConnexions. You can create motivational posters of your own on http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/motivator.php. I thought it was real cool...check out my creation!

wanted to use this picture instead, but couldn't save the original from flickr so it turned out really pixelated...but it's a nice pic so have put it up as well...enjoy :)

counting down to the holidays...

2009-05-05T22:15:00.002+08:00

So envious of those of you on holidays now! Especially since I'm tearing my hair out over GPPs and people who refuse to come for consultations eventhough it's only 3 weeks to the exams.

It's a little scary in school right now with the swine flu fears going round...students are taking temperatures 2x a day and most june trips have been cancelled. Do take care of yourselves and choose your holiday destinations carefully!

Anyway, something for you to enjoy:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/earth_hour_2009.html

A life for a life?

2009-04-15T21:10:00.002+08:00

this is old news...but I just received this email and showed it to my current students....will you sign this petition?

For His Memory

Do you remember February 1993 in England ,when a young boy of 3 was taken from a Liverpool shopping centre by two 10-year-old boys?
Jamie Bulger walked away from his mother for only a second, Jon Venables took his hand and led him out of the mall with his friend Robert Thompson. They took Jamie on a walk for over 2 and a half miles, along the way stopping every now and again to torture the poor little boy who was crying constantly for his mummy.
Finally they stopped at a railway track where they brutally kicked him, threw stones at him, rubbed paint in his eyes, pushed batteries up his anus and cut his fingers off with scissors. Other mutilations were inflicted but not reported in the press.
N.B. :- Remember, a 3year old cannot possibly defend themselves against a 10 year old, let alone of 2 them.
What these two boys did was so horrendous that Jamie's mother was forbidden to identify his body.
They then left his beaten small body on railwaytracks so a train could run him over to hide the mess they had created. These two boys, even being boys,understood what they did was wrong, hence trying to make it look like an accident.
This week Lady Justice Butler-Sloss has awarded the two boys ( now men ), anonymity for the rest of their lives when they leave custody with new identities. They will also leave custody early only serving just over half of their sentence.
They are being relocated to Australia to live out the rest of their lives. They disgustingly and violently took Jamie's life away and in return they each get a new life!
Please.... . If you feel as strongly as we do, (and if you haven't already signed this petition ) that this is a grave Miscarriage of justice - Hit the forward button and add your name at the end, and send it to everyone you can !
If you are the 700th person to sign, please forward this e-mail to: cust.ser.cs@gtnet.gov.uk and mark it for the attention to Lady Justice Butler-Sloss.Then continue on until it hits 1400, before you email her the list again.
There is power in numbers & these petitions do help.
Maybe it'll prevent another child from a violent death & maybe it'll get greater, more appropriate convictions for these criminals,whatever their age.
Please take a few seconds to forward it to your mail list & don't forget to add your name to the list.

2007 A-level paper

2009-04-15T21:05:00.000+08:00

I just gave the 07 A-level comprehension paper to my current students as an assignment....it's really quite difficult! Now I really empathise with all of you!

Gran Torino

2009-04-12T16:55:00.003+08:00

Gran Torino wasn't my first movie choice at the cinema at the new shopping mall Iluma...but since the whole world seemed to have gathered there for a $6 movie on Friday, I had to forgo Shinjuku Incident (yes, I'm a closet Jackie Chan fan!) for this Clint Eastwood movie.

It was surprisingly heartwarming. Rather raw acting by some of the actors acting as Hmong immigrants, but think it added to the realism of the show. It gave an interesting insight into the lives of migrants in America and was well worth my 6 bucks. The new cinema was pretty comfy too...and the movie started punctually!

Comic Relief

2009-04-05T21:56:00.000+08:00

I saw a number of comics by this artist, Mark Parisi, during the Supreme Court open house...thought some of them were quite clever. Here's the link for some of his comics under the search tag 'teacher'

http://www.offthemark.com/send.php?pdate=1997-05-31

(his copyright laws are pretty strict so I shan't risk putting any up here)

Beauty Queen's Blunder

2009-04-03T11:54:00.001+08:00

in case anyone becomes a beauty queen/king in the near future....pls don't make such boo-boos...

CARACAS (AFP) - - Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela, caused a stir here after gushing over her visit to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, home of the "war on terror" prison camp.
Mendoza, who works for the Miss Universe organization -- an NBC Universal and Donald Trump Partnership -- visited Guantanamo as part of a USO (United Service Organizations) tour that takes entertainers to visit US troops.
"This week, Guantanamo!!! It was an incredible experience," wrote the 22 year-old Mendoza on her Miss Universe-sponsored personal blog. "We had a wonderful time, this truly was a memorable trip!"
Marines and soldiers showed Mendoza and Miss USA 2008 Crystle Stewart around the base, then took them on "a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun!
"We visited the Detainees (sic) camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting," she wrote.
"The water in Guantanamo Bay is soooo beautiful! It was unbelievable ... I didnt want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."
The Guantanamo "war on terror" prison opened after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States as a place to house "enemy combatant" suspects.
Mendoza's posting was quickly struck from her blog -- not before the New York Times posted it on its website -- and replaced by a statement from the president of the Miss Universe organization, Paula Shugart.
The comments "were in reference to the hospitality she received while meeting the members of the US military and their families who are stationed in Guantanamo," Shugart wrote.
Mendoza and Stewart have "traveled to many locations and many bases around the globe including Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Korea and most recently, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba," Shugart said.
Local media pounced on Mendoza's comments.
Globovision reporter Ana Karina Villalba said it was necessary to better educate beauty queens -- of which Venezuela is famous for producing -- so that they know what is happening around the world.
"In Venezuela we should have broadly educated misses," said Villalba, remembering that a few years ago a beauty queen said she loved "William Shakespeare's music."
On local blogs, comments ranged from "Let's go vacation in Guantanamo because it's soooo much fun!" to "We'd have to lock Dayanita up."
The Guantanamo prison is one of the most controversial symbols of former president George W. Bush's legacy, where former detainees and human rights activists say the inmates are tortured.
The United States set up a naval base in Guantanamo after the 1898 Spanish-American war, when Cuba was freed of Spanish colonial rule, then obtained a long-term lease on the site.
The Cuban government that came to power after the 1959 revolution however does not accept US control, and wants the bay under Havana's control.
US President Barack Obama in January ordered the prison camp closed within one year.

wrong email...

2009-04-03T11:52:00.001+08:00

ha, i really thought this was quite funny....

A man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally typed a wrong e-mail address, without realizing his error, he sent the mail.

Meanwhile... Somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband's funeral. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting condolence messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife Subject: I've reached Date: 22 Feb 2009 I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here, and we are allowed to send e-mails to loved ones. I've just reached and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Stress relievers

2009-03-17T08:15:00.002+08:00

I just facilitated a PSLE training session and the kids said they had no stress!! haha, good life! well, for those of you who may be on the other end of the stress spectrum, here are some interesting tips:

Be a better breather. "When you make a conscious effort to breathe deeper, it naturally brings your body back to a more relaxed state," explains Frederic Luskin, Ph.D., author of Stress Free for Good(HarperOne). Place your hand on your stomach and watch it rise as you inhale for a count of 3 or 4; hold your breath for the same count, and then exhale for as long as comfortable and watch your belly fall.

Look forward to something. Each morning, think about one little, enjoyable thing you plan to do that day (the crossword puzzle) and one bigger pleasure on the horizon (your trip to the mountains), suggests Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management and Counseling Center in New York City. This ritual trains your brain to focus away from what can go wrong that day.

Make a small change to your routine. "Unpredictable events can cause the most stress," Luskin explains. "If you cultivate even a little bit of surprise in your life, it helps keep your cognitive responses flexible and helps you handle whatever life throws your way." Take a new cardio class or pick a cuisine you've never tried. (Hallå, Scandinavian!)

Convert Monday into Funday. The flip side to TGIF is OMGIM: It's Monday! In fact, more heart attacks occur on Mondays than on any other day. Schedule a weekly lunch with a friend or take a class you love on Mondays so you'll look forward to the start of the week, Dr. Wheeler advises.

Come home 15 minutes late. After work, walk home or listen to music at a pretty scenic spot before you burst through your front door. "Don't look at it as a waste of time," Dr. Wheeler says. "It's an important way of decompressing and transitioning back to home life."

Another movie review

2009-03-12T22:48:00.002+08:00

This Jap movie, Departures, is quite a nice, quirky movie about a man who prepares dead bodies for encoffining. Pretty interesting look into Jap culture, superstitions and lifestyle. It's ending it's run soon so better catch it fast!

Back to NY

2009-03-04T22:47:00.002+08:00

Looks like I'll be going back to NY from next week. Hmm...not where I had foreseen myself 1/2 year ago, but with the way things are going, looks like it's the best plan for now. The break has given me some good/bad experiences, so guess I'm ready to go back now. Ha, so whoever wants to look for me can find me back at college :)

Getting to know the Supreme Court

2009-03-02T21:04:00.003+08:00

Not sure whether anyone will see this in time, but if you are free on 15/16 march, and are interested in knowing more about the supreme court, here's something that should be interesting:

http://www.livingcourthouse.gov.sg/

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-03-01T08:07:00.002+08:00

After all the hype over this show, guess most of us know what it is about. It's pretty good... gritty and real, based on a rather interesting premise. It's one of the few shows that I've watched lately that wasn't draggy at parts. I especially like the fact that most of the child stars are real slum kids...but were given a chance to act and attend the Oscars.

Am hoping to watch the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Valkyrie and Milk soon. Looks like this year's Oscars had pretty good shows. Anybody has reviews of these movies?

students....sigh!

2009-02-13T22:49:00.003+08:00

These are the kind of mistakes that I'm seeing these days...

On a late-coming form : Today I late because I overslap

In a maths class : What is 7 x 1? Ans: 8!!!

Sigh...these mistakes make even the most mundane GP discussion sound clever!

Time

2009-02-02T16:58:00.002+08:00

I don't usually put up stories like this, but I've learnt this same lesson over the past few months, more acutely than I've ever remembered, so this story seemed more poignant than ever....may you spend more time this year with the people who are important to you

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, 'Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday.' Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

'Jack, did you hear me?' 'Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,' Jack said.

'Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it,' Mom told him.

'I loved that old house he lived in,' Jack said.

'You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,' she said.

'He's the one who taught me carpentry,' he said. 'I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral,' Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

'What's wrong, Jack?' his Mom asked.

'The box is gone,' he said.

'What box?' Mom asked.

'There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside.. All he'd ever tell me was "it's the thing I value most",' Jack said. It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

'Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him,' Jack said. 'I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom.'

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day, Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. 'Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,' the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. 'Mr. Harold Belser' it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. 'Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life.'

A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes,! Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: 'Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser.'

'The thing he valued most...was...my time.'

Jack held the watch for a few minutes then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. 'Why?' Janet, his assistant asked. 'I need some time to spend with my son,' he said. 'Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!'

'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,'

Exams or no exams?

2009-02-01T20:16:00.004+08:00

Exams or no exams?? Ha, I thought this was a rather interesting take on the need for exam....

Don't rule out exams

By Ignatius Low / Feb 1 2009Even at the grand old age of 36, I have recurring dreams about school.

In the dream, I'm either in junior college or university. The exams are two weeks away and panic seizes me when I realise there are one or two exam subjects that I have completely failed to prepare for.

According to books that explain dreams, to dream about being unprepared for an exam signifies some sort of insecurity, fear of not being able to meet expectations, or a fear of failure.

I would classify this recurring dream as a nightmare because in it, I'm genuinely unsettled and worried.

But there is always a silver lining.

The exam is always some days away and so, I tell myself in the dream, all is not lost.

I may not score well, but with some last minute mugging, I should be able to pass.

It's this dream that I immediately thought of when I read that a new government committee is doing away with the usual two big exams each year for Primary 1 and Primary 2 pupils.

Instead, there will be 'mini-tests' all year round, a system that's supposed to nurture students who 'enjoy learning all the time'.

It's the latest in a series of moves, not just in Singapore but worldwide, to shift the emphasis from exams to continual assessments.

The rationale for this seems sound. In systems where exams count for everything, students become stressed because everything hinges on their performance at the final hour.

Some students cannot take the pressure and crumble, often ruining what should have been a perfectly bright future. So putting all the emphasis on exams is unhealthy and rightfully so.

But the pendulum seems to have swung to the other extreme. More than ever before, there is talk of doing away with exams altogether.

I don't know about you but I find the gathering consensus to kill exams somewhat alarming. By taking the emphasis away from any one particular thing, we run the risk of putting the emphasis on every single thing.

This will fundamentally alter the equilibrium of the universe as far as school life goes.

First, consider the fact that exams work well for people who are, by nature, famously 'last minute''.

The fact is that the world is made up of plodders - hardworking types who do well consistently; and slackers - people who take it easy most of the time and burn the midnight oil at the end.

Taking away exams just shifts the advantage from slackers to plodders.

Why on earth should this be? Why should the tortoise, in the famous children's fable, win the race just because he's been more consistent than the hare?

I was brought up to believe that you should win the race by any means. If you're a slacker who prefers to sprint at the end, well that's just your style.

Now, I recognise that there are many students who cannot take the stresses of the exam cycle. But think of the equally numerous masses that thrive on it.

Many students like the fact that they can relax, play computer games and hang out in town during the normal weeks of school term, only to shut themselves in study rooms or at home when the exams draw near.

When I was a kid, I wasted many glorious hours listening to records, watching movies in town and going bowling.

Imagine if you couldn't go bowling with your friends because your homework for the next day will count towards your grade. And the next day's, and the day after that - endlessly sapping away your youth. Horrors!

Besides, the average student isn't a clear-cut plodder or a slacker. He's usually a combination of the two.

He's usually a plodder with subjects he loves - savouring every lab session, tutorial, assessment and project.

The subjects he hates, he tends to be quite 'last minute' about. Here, exams help him paper over a bad or indifferent performance all year round - a second reason why they are important.

When I was in school, I hated Mathematics. Throughout secondary school and college, I routinely skipped lectures and paid scant attention in tutorials.

Then with one month left to the exams, I would photocopy the best notes I could buy for good money from the neatest notetaker in school.

And then I would really suffer, trying to take in 10 lessons' worth of material in one. I had to practise on past '10-year series' questions like there was no tomorrow.

It didn't matter that I didn't understand what I was doing. What mattered was that I managed to memorise the steps needed to solve the equations just in the nick of time, and because of that, I passed.

I was also very bad at Chinese. So I used to memorise 10 Chinese proverbs and twist my essay in every way possible so I could use them in the exam essays and impress the examiners.

Imagine if every week's essay counted towards my grade. I would actually have to be good at the stuff.

A final reason why exams are important is that they typically represent the biggest events in a student's life.

And climbing that Everest each year is something that builds character.

If you think about it, exams are really a test run in project management at a young age. Students have to plan when to start preparing for exams and sort out their notes.

They have to manage the stepping up of their study time and the stepping down of their social engagements.

And in the end, exams were never just about the results.

It's the priceless moments spent bonding with your friends as you go through tough times.

It's the laughter and the tears (indeed the slight hysteria) as you recite by heart useless facts you know you will never again use.

It's the emotional blackmail that gets you that new gadget or holiday from your parents when you do well.

It's pooling everyone's collective wisdom to 'spot' the right exam questions, and it's the taste of victory or the agony of defeat as you compare answers after the exam.

To me, these are precious memories and life skills that you carry into adulthood. Do away with exams and all this will disappear.

Let's think twice before fundamentally changing our school systems. Exams have their place in the lives of students, as much as the tests and homework that constitute continual assessment.

Long live exams.

CNY 09

2009-01-24T10:08:00.002+08:00

Ha, read in the papers the other day on whether it's still appropriate to accept ang pows when you are old(er) yet unmarried...hmm...i've got no qualms about accepting them even though I do give to appropriate pp as well...so guess it's still ok!

Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Obama's inauguration

2009-01-21T08:19:00.003+08:00

Pretty good and realistic speech by Obama....let's hope he follows through...there have been comparisons between him and Martin Luther King and some of his speech follows the same style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

Random musings

2009-01-18T20:21:00.004+08:00

Many people ended 2008 with the hope that 2009 will be a better year....well....half a month has passed and we just keep hearing news that things are simply gonna get worse...pretty depressing isn't it? There is at least one article on yet another company laying off people in the papers every day...sigh...

Anyway, in the midst of all the doom and gloom, I've been reading a mindless book. Have been hearing how good Twilight the movie is so I decided to read the book...and...it's rather boring! Ha, I know many Twilight fans are gonna contradict me on that! I wanted to put up an article I read on the Straits Times the other day about how Twilight has basically turned everything that we knew and liked about vampires on its head - the sleeping in coffins and not being able to come out in the day and all...was quite a fun article but couldn't find it. Anyway, I heard that the next few books are supposed to be slightly better...shall press on and see whether it's worth it :)

Best job in the world!

2009-01-15T23:00:00.001+08:00

Anyone keen on applying :)? Sounds like a pretty fun job!

Australia offers 'best job in world' on paradise island

Tue Jan 13, 4:32 pm ET

SYDNEY (AFP) – An Australian state has launched a global search for candidates for "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautifultropical island for six months.

The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the successful applicant's home country to Hamilton Island on theGreat Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday.

In return, the "island caretaker" will be expected to stroll the white sands, soak up the sun, snorkel the reef, "maybe clean the pool" -- and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.

The winner, who will stay rent-free in a multi-million dollar three-bedroom beach home complete with plunge pool and golf buggy, must be an excellent communicator and be able to speak and write English.

"They'll also have to talk to media from time to time about what they're doing so they can't be too shy and they'll have to love the sea, the sun, the outdoors," said acting state Premier Paul Lucas.

"The fact that they will be paid to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel and generally live the Queensland lifestyle makes this undoubtedly the best job in the world."

Lucas said the campaign was part of a drive to protect the state's 18 billion Australian dollar a year tourism industry during the tough economic climate caused by the global financial meltdown.

While the campaign has elements of some reality television shows, a candidate's looks will not be a prime requirement, Tourism Queensland chief executive Anthony Hayes told AFP.

"No, I don't think beautiful is what we want, I think charismatic is what we want," he said. "The reality is we are looking for a fantastic communicator.

"What we want this person to do is travel throughout the Great Barrier Reef and just try every experience, every adventure they can find and report back via blogs and video to tell the world why Queensland is a great place to come for a holiday."

Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said some people might question whether it was risky to let an unknown person become an unofficial tourism spokesperson for the state.

"I think the biggest risk will be that the successful candidate won't want to go home at the end of the six months," she said.

"This is a legitimate job which is open to anyone and everyone."

Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six month contract will commence on July 1.

Job-seekers can apply on Islandreefjob.com

Pride

2009-01-12T21:57:00.002+08:00

For me, lessons in humility are the hardest to learn. I'm actually a very proud person with an ego that is a little too big for a female (yes, I'm stereotyping here)....and I've been praying for humility for a long time. Little did I know it's gonna come in this form...through a period of joblessness in one of the worst recessions of our time, having to fight with so many others to find a job..any job!

It's because of pride that I quit without much planning and without a job, it's pride that I've kept looking for jobs that pay peanuts because I refuse to admit that I can't have the jetsetting life that I've been bragging about...

But I've realised that pride can't negate the fact that I have a father who is not as young as I thought he was, a responsibility as a daughter and granddaughter, who has no right to make others worry and fret the way I'm doing now.

Guess this is just an explanation to those who may be wondering where I may be heading next... am not totally trashing the idea, but this doesn't seem to be the best time for me to go anywhere unless I can't find a job here...

50 places to travel in a lifetime...

2009-01-08T23:27:00.003+08:00

Here's National Geographic Traveller's list of 50 of the world's top destinations "that every curious traveller should visit in a lifetime". So many places, so little time and money!!

Which would you want to visit?

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/places-of-a-lifetime.html

Expand/Collapse This

Bye Bye 2008!!

2009-01-01T22:18:00.003+08:00

I don't know about you but I'm relieved that 2008 is finally over...just hoping that 2009 will be a better year...even though things aren't exactly looking up yet, sigh.
Anyway, looks like even resolutions aren't particularly good for us, if what this article is saying is true. I'm not big on resolutions but I like to reflect...and I've learnt an expensive lesson on how we ought not to let pride, face and impulsiveness get in the way of logic and rationality. Oh well, lessons learnt always come a little too late...

May all of you have a better year ahead!!

New Year's resolutions can be bad for you

LONDON (AFP) - - Making self-improvement New Year's resolutions often leaves people feeling worse, the British mental health charity Mind has warned.

Mind urged people not to make resolutions focusing on physical imperfections -- such as attempting to lose weight -- because they create a negative self image and lead to feelings of low self-esteem, hopelessness and even mild depression.

And when such optimistic resolutions fail, that could spark feelings of inadequacy and failure, the charity warned.

"New Year's resolutions can sometimes focus on our problems or insecurities such as being overweight, feeling unhappy in our jobs or feeling guilty about not devoting enough time to friends and family throughout the year," said Mind chief executive Paul Farmer.

"We chastise ourselves for our perceived shortcomings and set unrealistic goals to change our behaviour, so it's not surprising that when we fail to keep resolutions, we end up feeling worse than when we started.

"In 2009, instead of making a New Year's resolution, think positively about the year to come and what you can achieve."

Mind suggested resolution-makers focus instead on being active, connecting with nature, learning something new and working for one's community.

Have a good Christmas!

2008-12-25T22:43:00.005+08:00

Jesus is Better than Santa
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts and repairs broken homes.
Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
Santa is a myth
But Jesus is the Truth, the Way, and the Life
While Santa puts gifts under your tree
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.
It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Poor George Bush!

2008-12-20T12:15:00.002+08:00

Looks like nobody's gonna forget the incident of an Iraqi journalist hurling his shoes at President Bush very soon. In case you haven't heard, it happened during a press conference in Iraq, where Bush was on a farewell visit. I must say Bush handled it pretty well though, appearing more amused than angry.

Look at what techies have come up with to give people their own chance to throw a shoe at Bush! These people really have nothing to do!

http://play.sockandawe.com/game

http://www.kroma.no/2008/bushgame/

Internships & Other Overseas Experiences

2008-12-09T08:54:00.004+08:00

Haven't posted anything for some time...have been rather tired chasing 4 year-olds ha (yes, I've gone from chasing primary school kids to the even younger ones!). They are really cute (at times...) but I've realised I don't quite have the patience with young children :P

Anyway, whenever I surf the web trying to look for job opportunities abroad, I realise there are many things I could have done as an undergraduate, or a new grad. Now that I'm seriously overaged, nobody wants to give me internships or hire me for such projects anymore. So if any of you are interested, here are some links. Ha, am trying to live vicariously through all of you...do let me know if you go on any of these :)

AIESEC - I'm sure you'll hear about this in uni, they are a huge organisation. I would have taken up their internship if I hadn't gone for my exchange programme. Looking back, I wished I had still gone...a study exchange programme is quite different from a job internship

http://www.aiesec.org/cms/aiesec/AI/Asia%20Pacific/SINGAPORE/index.html

Speedwing - for those with more energy...'cos they offer summer jobs such as those in amusement parks as well as au pairs (i.e. nannies). This company is rather expensive but no harm going for their talks to just have a look

http://www.speedwing.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

iHipo - I actually found this on facebook! haha, looks like facebook can be pretty useful too! They even have internships in Singapore in case you are looking for temporary work with better satisfaction.

http://www.ihipo.com/

Singapore International Foundation - if you've been on OSLE trips, this organisation would be pretty familiar. They are constantly looking for volunteers and have pretty interesting and meaningful short/long-term projects. Also, for those going on exchange programmes, go to their Singaporeans Overseas link to find a Singaporean society in the country you'll be going to.

http://www.sif.org.sg/en/

There'll probably be many more exciting opportunities advertised in your schools so do look out for all these...the YIH noticeboard used to be my favourite place 'cos they had many companies advertising interesting summer jobs/internships and other opportunities!

Uncertain times

2008-11-27T18:29:00.002+08:00

A global financial fallout, violent protests in Thailand, terrorist attacks in India...these are certainly uncertain times...and they seem to be getting closer and closer to home...

Bullying or Prank?

2008-11-17T10:00:00.002+08:00

Bullying or just a prank in good fun? This came after I'd read an article about the rise of crimes among female teens, and a novel about a high school massacre by a boy who had been bullied in school (Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult), so I am more inclined to think negatively of this incident. What do you think? Here's the forum discussion of this issue on STOMP: http://talkback.stomp.com.sg/forums/showthread.php?t=50720&page=17

BIRTHDAY PRANK GONE TOO FAR?

Kenny Chee/My Paper/14 Nov 08

A VIDEO clip of a birthday prank filmed in an elite school has caused an up-roar among netizens.

In the video, which is more than 10 minutes long , a n Anglo-Chinese Junior College student was tied to a chin-up bar, had cake stuffed in her face, and was humiliated right within the school’s premises.

“Is this how you celebrate other people’s birthdays – by humiliating them?” said forum poster

frodonet at Hardwarezone.com. Stomp poster justafool said: “Definitely not the type of classmates I want my kids to be with nor the type of school I want

them to attend!”

The video was first uploaded on YouTube last month, but was taken down. It was then posted on Stomp and other video-sharing sites yesterday. The clip started with a birthday celebration for the girl in the school canteen. But things took a turn when at least four female schoolmates carried the girl to a chin-up bar. They tied her wrists to the posts of the bar despite the struggling girl’ s cries of “no”. Some onlooking male students encouraged the prank. After she was tied, her schoolmates cheered and clapped.

When the girl suddenly became quiet and hung her head, one student told her not to cry. But this was shortly followed by creamy food items being stuffed in her face and later into her uniform. Milk and an assortment of drinks were then poured on her. The helpless girl resumed screaming. At one point, she shouted: “ I really hate all of you!” Her schoolmates responded by singing a birthday song.

An ACJC staff member who was passing by stopped to reprimand the students. “What’s going on?” he said. One female student replied that they would clean up the premises.

Many who had watched the video or heard about it did not approve of t he prank. ACJC alumnus Mark Zhang , 24 , thought “tying up someone was a bit too much”. The mechanical engineering student at the National University of Singapore said that while birthday pranks are “fairly common in secondary schools and JCs”, it is usually boys who are targeted.

Shocked Stomp poster lucky123 said JC pranks on birthday boys, such as pushing the boy into a tree or a pole, “pale compared to (the video)”.

Still, some do not think there is anything wrong.

“It ’s just a hazing,” said Stomp poster kennynaboo. “Why get so worked up? Birthday and initiation ‘sabotages’ are part and parcel of growing up.”

ACJC’S RESPONSE

I refer to your queries about a post put up by a Stomper regarding a birthday celebration for an ACJC student. The school is aware of the incident, which was a celebration for a student who is popular with her peers.

We understand that the student was prepared for the celebration, and that there was no malice or bullying involved.

When a teacher saw the celebration, he stopped it immediately and counselled the students. The birthday girl also assured the teacher that she was not physically or emotionally hurt.

Some weeks after the event, a teacher again enquired about the girl’s well-being, and she assured the teacher and the school that the celebrations were carried out in the spirit of good fun and that she was well.

Although the activity was done in good humour, the college has counselled the students involved on the possible hazards of such activities, and explained that there are more appropriate ways to express their friendship among peers.

Mrs Kelvyna Chan

Principal, Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Primary school...kids!

2008-11-08T23:01:00.002+08:00

Relief teaching in a primary school reminds me of the reasons why I shunned primary school teaching! They are cute, but you certainly need to be very organised, firm, focused and preferably motherly when you teach in a primary school...all of which I certainly am not!
I've been teaching post-PSLE P6 students...the worst kids to teach! Most of them are just coming because they don't have a choice, and just want to have fun....but the school wants to prepare them for secondary school...good idea, but you feel kind of sorry for them because they are already in a holiday mood.
I also taught P2s yesterday. Cute but talkative! I brought them to the computer lab to entertain them...and these 8 year old girls started to show me a website that they found really funny - where cute rabbits had their tongues cut off and brains were blown...yes, it was a Happy Tree Friends ecard website!! I didn't know one can send Happy Tree Friends ecards!!
Goodness...I had all these memories of GP discussions of the effects of children watching Happy Tree Friends...and it was all unfolding before my very eyes! Desensitization and the effects of the media! What will our next generation be like?!?

Shantou, China

2008-11-07T07:14:00.004+08:00

Do any of my 'loyal' readers out there come from Shantou or know what it's like to live there? Looks like China will be my next port of call....

US President

2008-11-05T21:23:00.002+08:00

Obama is the new US president! Pretty amazing! But it'll be a seriously tough job....

The biggest elections of the year!

2008-11-03T08:48:00.004+08:00

As usual, the US elections is such a long-drawn process that you sometimes wish they'll just get it done and over with. But this year's elections has been a pretty interesting one, what with the Clinton-Obama upset and the choice of Sarah Palin for VP, not forgetting how the recent economic downturn has seemed to turn the tide a little. Anyway, will be a pretty exciting race for the top position in the world (it still is!), so don't forget to catch it on TV or in the papers!

Right now, the polls are largely in Obama's favour (and I would vote for him if I could!), but most Americans still don't seem to be ready for a black president. As seen in past elections, pre-election day polls aren't usually very accurate, and some Americans may 'say one thing and do another'. Even if Obama is elected, the death threats that he's gotten recently might not be the last...and it can be pretty dangerous for him. John McCain seems ok, but I don't quite like his choice of Palin for VP, she seems to be over-playing the sensationalism card.

If you want an update on the elections, here are some websites to go to: http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/

Need a job...

2008-10-31T08:30:00.002+08:00

hmm... this feels weird but desperate situations call for desperate measures! Does anyone have any 'lobang' for a temp job till the end of the year? I need to earn back at least a portion of what I'd spent in Canada... I've got a high chance of getting relief teaching jobs at primary schools for these 2 weeks but will probably need something to tide me till I start a new permanent job. Give me a ring if you've got good offers :)

Discrimination

2008-10-29T13:52:00.003+08:00

I've experienced some mild discrimination before when I was in Germany and travelling around...usually some condescending tone when people spoke or getting less than cordial service at a restaurant....think we get that here as well, where many people in the service industry treat Caucasians better than locals.
But the situation's so much worse now that I'm trying to get an English teaching job, especially in Asian countries. You'd think that companies/schools should be selecting teachers based on ability, not on passport or skin colour....but I can't even complete an application form once I indicated that I'm not from a 'English speaking country'!
Am ranting now because I just received an email reply to my application that says the company cannot secure a visa for me because I'm not from one of the aforementioned countries...but a further check reveals that there shouldn't be a problem as long as I have a degree and completed my education in English! So I would assume it's just an excuse to hide the real problem...that I'm not White!
*Fume*

virtual into reality

2008-10-24T23:30:00.001+08:00

this is rather scary...it'll just be a matter of time before pp start doing things like this for real

Woman jailed after 'killing' virtual husband

By MARI YAMAGUCHI,Associated Press WriterAP - Friday, October 24

TOKYO - A 43-year-old player in a virtual game world became so angry about her sudden divorce from her online husband that she logged on with his password and killed his digital persona, police said.

The woman, who has been jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his ID and password to log onto the popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in May, a police official in the northern city of Sapporo said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.

"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.

The woman, a piano teacher, had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.

She has not yet been formally charged. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison or a fine up to US$5,000.

Players in "Maple Story" create and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting monsters and other obstacles.

In virtual worlds, players often abandon their inhibitions, engaging in activity online that they would never do in the real world. For instance, sex with strangers is a common activity.

The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married to kill the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his online avatar was dead.

The woman was arrested Wednesday and taken 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sapporo, where the man lives, the official said.

The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.

Bad online behavior is usually handled within the rules set up by online worlds, which can ban miscreants or take away their virtual possessions.

In recent years, misbehavior in the virtual world has in some cases had consequences in reality.

In August, a woman was charged in the U.S. state of Delaware with plotting the real-life abduction of a boyfriend she met through the virtual reality Web site "Second Life."

In Tokyo, a 16-year-old boy was charged with stealing the ID and password from a fellow player of an online game in order to swindle virtual currency worth US$360,000.

Montreal

2008-10-19T13:08:00.004+08:00

Montreal is another city in French speaking Canada. Folks in Montreal are more bilingual than those in Quebec...apparently 1/2 has English as their first language and the other 1/2 has French as their first language. It's a nice blend of the old and new, with a nice old city and great downtown shopping. It has one of the largest underground shopping malls in Canada (underground so that people can shop in comfort during winter).

nice sculpture downtown. I think they are supposed to be laughing at a joke. Reminds me of the situation where everyone looks up when someone points at the sky
McGill University - one of the best in Canada, in case anyone's interested in applying there or going for exchange. It's an English speaking university.
nice cheeky photo at a photo exhibition along the streets of downtown.
fall colours...Canada is probably the best place to see trees changing colour in the fall/autumn
La Basilique Notre-Dame de Montreal - famous cathedral in Montreal where Celine Dion was married. People book the church for weddings about 3 years in advance....the joke is that should they change their minds about the wedding, they should find another person to marry rather than give up their reservation for the church!
Chappelle du Sacre Coeur - a chapel behind the Basilique. As with many old churches, it was burnt down in a fire and rebuilt - entirely in wood
Tours on horse carriages are very popular....especially since Montreal has a pretty European feel
I love exploring Chinatowns in the countries I visit. Montreal has a pretty good one
Dragon beard candy being sold in Chinatown
Poutine, a fav food in French Canada. French fries + gravy + cheese - but not the KFC cheesy fries kind
Smoked meat sandwich, another Montreal delicacy
Montreal's Olympic stadium. They just finished paying their debt for the 1976 Olympics this year! Hmm...maybe it's a good thing Singapore's too small to host the actual Olympics
Montreal's old city

Virtual barber shop

2008-10-17T11:13:00.006+08:00

This is quite interesting. Listen to it with your headphones on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA

Quebec

2008-10-06T21:41:00.008+08:00

The only time I have to post up pictures is when I'm doing laundry heh. Anyway, here are some pictures of Quebec. It's the 2nd largest province in Canada and is in the French-speaking part of Canada. Very European in feel with cobbled stones and all...doesn't seem like part of Canada!

Buskers like this are everywhere, playing all sorts of instruments
Maple taffy...maple products are uniquely Canadian
Quebec is a 'walled city' and La Citadelle is the main fortress. It used to protect the city from the British and is still an active military garrison
Bird's eye view of Old Quebec. Hint for backpackers: always take the opportunity to look for a place to get a view of the entire city. It's usually very cool.
Hm...hope this doesn't seem insulting to anyone. I just thought it's funny how even here in faraway Canada people are realising that almost everything's made in China. (Didn't get a chance to see where this t-shirt is made heh)
This is pretty cute...and true! I wonder whether we have a similar t-shirt for 'lah' in Singapore
This is the square where the last scene of 'Catch me if you can' was filmed, where Leo DiCaprio was caught by Tom Hanks and led out in front of carolers.

This is a wall mural in the old city. Same kind of art form was used to make it look 3D.

Guess who the real person is!

The streets of Old Quebec
Quebec city is 400 years old this year! You can see a funicular rail behind that will bring you up to the top of a hill to another part of the city
Celebrating 400 years...
The Canadian flag is everywhere!
This is a sculpture in honour of female teachers! Recognition at last!

being a tourist

2008-10-05T11:19:00.002+08:00

have been looking forward to being a real tourist in toronto for the past month...but suddenly realised that it's more tiring being a tourist than being a student! am trying to find time to post up some pics here...hopefully can do it soon

Clever inventions

2008-09-21T01:59:00.004+08:00

Some of these are really pretty cool...

GIANT REMOTE
Never lose your remote again!
With giant buttons, this extra-large remote is easy to use and impossible to lose. It's a 6-in-1 remote so you can use it to control your TV, VCR, DVD player, satellite, cable and auxiliary A/V device. It even features glow-in-the-dark buttons, so you can easily find the remote in the dark.

DAYCLOCK (one of my favourites!)
What day is today? You don't know? Then you need a DayClock. It's uniquely designed to keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. It's ideal for vacations and cruises when it's easy to lose track of the day.

LASER SCISSORS (super useful!)
Laser ScissorsCutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge.

ILUMINATING CAR SLIPPERS (my favourite! wish someone will really produce this!)
Do you get up at night to drink water, go to the toilet...Do you wish you could see in the dark? Remarkably bright LED lights are triggered by your footsteps and light up the floor 30 feet in front of you; ultra-soft plush style are extra comfortable and cozy warm.

"THE THING" - INFANT PILLOW (this is rather scary ha!)
The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.

CUP & COOKIES

Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don't need extra plates. It's made for right handed and left handed.
BANANA GUARD

Protect Your Banana! Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and storage individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime, anywhere.
LOCK-CUP

Lock Cup - Anti-Theft Coffee Cup. Are you tired of others stealing your coffee cup? Well now there's a solution. The Lock - Cup has a hole which prevents most people from using it. Only the owner of the cup can use his/hers shaped key to close the hole. TRANSPARENT TOASTER (another of my favourites!)

You love toast, but you always burn it? Than, this invention us for you. This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the colour is right. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology. BUTTER CUTTER

One Click Butter Cutter controls your portion as an important part of staying healthy. This ingenious butter cutter delivers one standard pat with each click of the handle.

students who don't talk!

2008-09-21T01:50:00.002+08:00

Ha, am meeting the same problem that I had with all of you in J1!

I'm teaching a group of students who have very minimal language ability, the kind that has to check the dictionary when you compliment them on giving a 'smart answer!' and don't know what 'each other' means! And as we all know, I hate classes that don't respond, and it's especially difficult with this class because you know they don't respond because they really really don't know what you are talking about. Sigh, next week is the make or break week...if I can't get this people to understand the basic English that I'm gonna teach them next week, then I'm probably not gonna be able to survive in ESL teaching.

halfway through!

2008-09-14T05:50:00.008+08:00

my course mates and the students we have been teaching

I'm halfway through my month-long course! Some people have been asking what my course is about. Well, it's to prepare me to teach English to people who didn't grow up speaking the language...so their English is worse than all of you! Ha, I've got to learn how to give instructions more simply and slowly, and to explain things with more gestures and simpler language. I've also been learning how to be more encouraging...trying to say 'great!', 'good job!', 'excellent!' Haha, you know how difficult this is for me since I'm more used to 'not bad', 'not really'....

I have teaching practices in the afternoons and have been teaching an intermediate class the past 2 weeks. It was a very fun class 'cos their language ability is not too bad and they are very willing to speak up. They come from all over the world...Korea, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, France... with different backgrounds. Some are retired teachers and principals, others are people on working visas to try to earn extra cash, and others are like me, travelling to see the world! So it's fun when they do discussions and give opinions from their own experiences. Guess, that's what I'm looking for in taking this course and hopefully to teach these people - the chance to get to know different cultures.

I've only got 3 other classmates, but it's interesting studying with the 'ang mohs'. It's time like this that I'm thankful for the rigour we've been put through in school....having regular homework is nothing new and something we can cope with pretty well. For some of them, they are pretty stressed out with the work and sleeping very little 'cos they are not used to it. So there's value in our education system after all!

Am going to start teaching a beginner's class next week. That's gonna be a whole new challenge altogether. Hope it'll go well!

in retrospect

2008-09-09T09:08:00.003+08:00

there are days like this when i wonder whether i've made the right decision in throwing away a stable job for a more "exciting" life....

...because there are days when things aren't exactly exciting and there are more uncertainties than expected

...the days when you wished you still had your old salary because that $2 the faulty vending machine swallowed means you'll have to scrimp on lunch the next day (and it didn't even dispense the coke that i was craving for!)

...the days when familiarity, certainty, and the support of family and friends seem more important than "excitement"

...the days when "the grass is always greener on the other side - the side that you are not on" rings so true, when you wished you had gritted your teeth and roughed it out back home

maybe these are the issues that I should have considered more carefully before making a decision, but these are the lessons that I have learnt and will learn, hopefully helping me to make better decisions in future. every decision, whether 'right' or 'wrong', is a lesson in itself. my prayer is that it is a decision made according to God's will and i'll learn the lessons He wants me to learn.

Snapshots of Toronto

2008-09-05T09:40:00.003+08:00

The fun thing about travelling abroad is getting to know different cultures and seeing how they handle things differently. One conclusion I've come to is that Canadian children are very free! They have a lot of time to play! Ha, it's probably biased 'cos it's only based on my observations of the children in my neighbourhood, but they are certainly more laid back.

I've also got the chance to meet people from all over the world 'cos I'm doing teaching practice for my course. Today I was just told that the 'Oi!' that we consider so rude in Singapore means 'hello' in the language of one my students (Polish I think).

I'm not a voyeur, but mowing the lawn is such an 'ang moh' thing that I just had to take a pic of this neighbour doing this.

Why are we so critical of our efforts to have a Clean and Green city when other people do the same thing too! Canadians are proud of the fact that the law states that there must be a park every few miles

I've no idea when the Canadian national day is but I'm sure this flag is out the whole year round. That's patriotism for you!

Chinese food in Toronto is supposed to be very good...I just haven't had the chance to try it. My first taste was this expensive S$8 chow mien with "oriental chicken"...too dry though!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

2008-09-02T04:09:00.003+08:00

Ha, these creative answers to "why did the chicken cross the road" are pretty good!

BARACK OBAMA:

The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE!

The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MCCAIN:

My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need

to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other

side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON:

When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross

the road.

This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure -- right from Day

One! -- that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves

to cross the road.

But then, this really isn't about me.......

GEORGE W. BUSH:

We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.

We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.

The chicken is either against us, or for us.

There is no middle ground here.

JOHN LENNON:

Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES:

I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but

will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check

book.

Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken.

This new platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^(C %

.......... reboot.

BILL CLINTON:

I did not cross the road with THAT chicken.

What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE:

I invented the chicken!

LEE KUAN YEW:

I am telling u that the highly paid chicken should cross the road first.

It is our right to cross the road.

LEE HSIEN LOONG:

Gantry points have been set up.

All chickens wanting to cross the road are advised to top up their cash

cards first.

ABDULLAH BADAWI:

We have to be fair to all chickens.

Some want to cross over the road, some do not. ........

Zzzzzz .......zzzzzz .......

Now what were we talking about?

Ah yes, chickens.

We will form a Royal Commission to decide whether it is right for them

to cross the road.

MAHATHIR:

Now even the non-bumi chickens want to cross the road?

How can they disrespect and disregard the bumi chickens?

We must be allowed to cross over first. It is our right!

ANWAR:

We have enough chickens waiting to cross over in September.

SHAHRIR:

All foreign chickens are welcome in Malaysia but they must not cross

over the road within 50km of the border.

Wong Kan Seng:

I am sorry that the chicken was allowed to cross the road.

It was an HONEST MISTAKE.

Lets move on.

Away from home...

2008-09-01T08:57:00.004+08:00

The first 3 days of reaching a new country are usually the hardest....a sudden realisation that everything's real, that it's not just a 2 week holiday, that I'm 27 hrs away from what's familiar and I have to live with whatever path I've chosen, whether it's good or not.

These 2 months are gonna tell me whether I can really survive for long in a different country. I'm no longer the 21 year old who could survive on her own for 8mths in Germany...when you are older, people don't forgive your mistakes as easily and they expect more of you. So for those of you studying away from home for the first time, enjoy it! 'cos it's a great experience that you may not get again! The homesickness will surely come but once you wait it out, things will get better.

Oh well, am gonna take that exact advice...gotta wait for these 3 days to pass and for school to start...then hopefully I'll start enjoying what Toronto has to offer

Packing

2008-08-20T19:05:00.001+08:00

The bad thing about ending a part of your life in one place? The packing!! Aargh...it never seems to end!

Congratulations Singapore (II)

2008-08-20T19:04:00.003+08:00

Sigh, the match last Sat was quite disappointing...not much spunk in the Singapore team... Oh well, better a silver than nothing at all. Hopefully they'll be a little more motivated in the singles

Congratulations Singapore!

2008-08-16T00:49:00.003+08:00

Yayy! Our 2nd Olympics medal is in the bag (just not sure what colour it'll be yet)!

The TVs in school was broadcasting the Li Jiawei vs Kim Kyung-ah match and there were students and teachers watching on every floor. Quite fun to hear the collective gasps, groans and cheers....naturally remedial started late ha. The loss of that match was pretty disappointing but the subsequent wins certainly made up for it!

Finally a victory at the Olympics! This is even better than watching Michael Phelps!

last day...

2008-08-15T23:34:00.005+08:00

Finally, my official last day in Nanyang.

Have been in NY for 4 years...at times I feel that I've been there forever, but the vivid memories of my first few weeks are a reminder that I'm not as "experienced" as I appear to be...I remember the trepidation of getting to know new colleagues, preparing to go into my first class, marking my first compre (and struggling to figure out what the kids were attempting to paraphrase), trying to figure out what the horror AQ was all about...

It's certainly amazing how time flies. I've been indeed blessed to be posted into NY, because it's certainly a very good place to work in. I remember walking into my first class and thinking that the kids will be grouchy and reticent...but they were surprisingly enthusiastic and friendly, much easier to talk to than the secondary school kids I had during practicum. Of course, the 06-07 batch also proved that there are many very hardworking, teachable and fun students in NY :) I did complain quite a bit about this batch but I guess much of it had to do with the restlessness I was experiencing, pretty unfair to blame them for it. At the very least, they have spared me the horrors that I hear from friends teaching in secondary school. 3 batches, every one different, but each one has brought certain joys that have enabled me to survive in my teaching career till now.
But the best part about working in NY are my fellow teachers. I never thought I'll make such good friends and have so much fun with my colleagues - the mad capers we were always up to in the staff room, the tricks we've pulled on each other, the mandatory breakfasts and lunches together, the marking holidays we've had together....these are the people who made it difficult to leave the school.

Many people ask why I'm leaving, especially at a time when everything seems to be going well. I guess it's time for me to explore the 'what could have been' if I hadn't taken up teaching, and to satisfy my wanderlust. I need to force myself out of my comfort zone before I get too old to be adventurous.

Also, I guess the perfectionist in me can't quite ignore the fact that I'm not as good a teacher as I hope to be. I thought I came into this line a realist and a cynic, but I realise that I'm in fact still very much an idealist. I still came in to do the very cliched 'touch lives and change hearts' but for a person who is not a natural teacher, it was emotionally draining, taking very much more effort than expected, yet, not yielding as much result as hoped for. Guess I need to teach people whom I can be more detached about, and also not have to juggle "developing every student holistically" with preparations for exams.

Not sure how the future will pan out and what God's plan for me is, whether I'll remain in education or explore a whole new career. Hopefully there will be chances to try something meaningful in a developing country. Well, the next chapter is a blank page waiting to be written....I shall wait, pray and see what this new chapter will be....

*The closing of just one chapter of my life*

Batman~!

2008-08-04T10:00:00.005+08:00

Am on MC again...sigh, taken mc more times in my last 3 weeks of school than in my 4 years of teaching. anyway, i work better at home than in school so it's a blessing in disguise :)

The Dark Knight was pretty good, more hyped than ever 'cos of the late Heath Ledger. Some parts in the middle was rather slow and longdrawn but the action was good and the attempts to show the conflict between good and evil was pretty well done. Worth watching!

Christian Bale looks much better in this movie than in Batman Begins

I've always thought the Batsuit looks ugly, this new one is no better. But guess his Batmobile and Batpod make up for the cool factor!

Maybe there's a good reason why some children are scared of clowns...

If only we had such fun signs....

2008-07-23T23:08:00.012+08:00

I love to take pictures of fun slogans and street signs...so here are some from the Big Apple...where anything goes!

And we thought our anti-smoking ads of lung cancer and bleeding brains were blatant! There are many huge boxes of Marlboro with these captions in the duty free shop at the Frankfurt airport

There are 1800 numbers for everything in New York! You can get anything from legal advice to abortion information just by dealing a number (ads found in their subway)

My favourite street signs! Especially the one on the idling law!

The Quiet Zone in Central Park was anything but...

Ha! How ironic! Anyway, the UN building was pretty cool...

Counting down...

2008-07-23T22:48:00.002+08:00

have always thought i'm a realist...have come to realise that i'm still pretty much an idealist at heart...am easily frustrated because i can't understand and accept the fact that kids these days have changed, that we can't use the same methods to teach them anymore. am always amazed at how some teachers can stay in this for so long...to see how every generation is just getting so much more difficult to understand.

or maybe it's just a teenage thing...maybe we were all like this once...and probably they are the same the world over...not sure what i'm running into, probably from the frying pan into the fire...

sigh...am sounding like a confused teenager...quarter-life crisis (am probably past 'quarter-life' actually :P)

NS men

2008-06-23T16:32:00.001+08:00

just read about the NS men who died during training...those of you in NS, pls be careful and take care of yourselves...

Travelling

2008-06-19T15:26:00.003+08:00

Am finally able to update this blog. Good time to do so now 'cos am trying to keep awake to prevent jet lag...need to regain energy for a full day meeting tmr :P a sure sign that the hols are over...

Had one of my most eventful June hols ever - a one week band trip to Osaka and then a personal holiday to New York, with just a day's rest in between. Ha, not sure what possessed me to plan 2 trips back to back, sounded pretty exciting when I was planning it, but was certainly quite tiring!

Osaka is a pretty nice city, not too big, and near enough to Kyoto and Nara to be rather interesting culturally. Japanese students are amazingly disciplined (at least those in the schools we went to), it was quite fun to watch how a group of 160 Jap girls organised themselves into neat rows in a few minutes flat while 50 S'pore students took forever to do the same. And the common sight of high school students walking in 2 neat lines on an excursion is certainly a S'porean teacher's dream. Of course we also saw the Jap 'lians' & 'bengs' who cut queues and hiked up their skirts so high we didn't know where to look ha. But being responsible for other people's kids in a foreign land is a pretty stressful job...my deepest admiration for teachers who bring huge groups of primary school students for overseas trips!

New York's a dream come true, have been planning this trip for the last 3 years but it never came to pass till now. There are just so many things to see, things that one have always read about and seen on TV...and suddenly they are there, looming in front of you, for real!

More on New York next time, wanted to post pix and talk more abt it but think my brain's shutting down...

Happy holidays!

2008-05-29T22:28:00.002+08:00

The long-awaited hols is finally here! Have been back to school everyday (and complaining lots) but can at least clear some things that have been put on hold the whole term...and enjoy life a little bit more...

2 trips in a row...hopefully won't lose any band kid in japan...won't be in town for the whole month, will update this if I see anything interesting when I'm away

those of u entering uni soon...enjoy the last 2 mths of ur hols!

the upside of down

Official Bye-bye

Iron baby

E-mail etiquette

ha, i'm gonna show this to my current students...let's not forget that emails are still meant to be a form of communication so certain etiquette needs to be followed...so sad that some people don't realise it

10 Rules of E-mail Etiquette

April Fools joke!

be careful...

internships

Sad video

taiwanese susan boyle

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

Are you afraid of death?

updates...

Results!!

Migrant-style Chinese Worker

Man to publish his life story as a migrant worker in Fujian

how far does one scold kids...

it's been some time...

random musings

decade in 7 minutes

Top 5 viral video

get more fresh air in the new yr!

interesting clip & slideshow

Christmas!

ageing...yikes!

more 3D pics

farewell video

counting down...

My sister's keeper

More on Moore

School Answering Machine

movies

amazing woman

Down, but not out...

this article reminds me of the time when i was surviving on granola bars and tv dinners in Toronto:)

Down, but not out, in TorontoLee Wei Ling / ST / 30/08/09

have a nice day

deluxe hug

public service!

Want a PSC scholarship? Be yourself

in the news...

just posting this 'cos it's something i never thought will happen in Singapore :P

Teacher who amended PSLE scripts sentenced to 8 weeks’ jail

NDP song

Movie recommendation: Food, Inc

national day is coming again!

Obama kills fly

A certain frisson that sparks you alive

watching tv

Goodbye GM

holidays!

getting old...yikes!

Perspectives

counting down to the holidays...

A life for a life?

2007 A-level paper

Gran Torino

Comic Relief

Beauty Queen's Blunder

wrong email...

Stress relievers

Another movie review

Back to NY

Getting to know the Supreme Court

Slumdog Millionaire

students....sigh!

Time

Exams or no exams?

CNY 09

Obama's inauguration

Random musings

Best job in the world!

Anyone keen on applying :)? Sounds like a pretty fun job!

Australia offers 'best job in world' on paradise island

Pride

50 places to travel in a lifetime...

Bye Bye 2008!!

New Year's resolutions can be bad for you

Have a good Christmas!

Down, but not out, in Toronto
Lee Wei Ling / ST / 30/08/09