|
Today is a day of new stuff.
Got my new IC! Yep, that also reaffirms my age. Wouldn't want to change my IC if it isn't mandatory (yes, I tried to ignore the re-registration notice but they sent me a reminder which looked like a fine may be in place if I should continue to evade it) because I liked how innocent and can't-be-bothered I looked on my old IC. In contrast, I appear more cheerful on the new IC, but I seem to have become a little skinnier (sigh). Shall not reveal my new picture here (for security reasons, hmm), but here's my old IC picture for your amusement: 
Also bought a new phone today! My previous Sony Ericsson K750i has served me very well for two long years with its reliable 2-megapixel camera and handy functions, but the middle button is becoming a bit laggy, so I decided to upgrade the phone before it loses its trade-in value. Got K850i for its 5-megapixel camera, sleek look and 3G capability (not sure how much I'm going to use it though). That's my third consecutive Sony Ericsson phone, and I still have nothing but praises for Sony Ericsson's formidable function-plus-design package - crisp, vibrant camera pictures, edgy interface graphics, customisable and clever shortcut keys... It's just perfect. Started playing the game Rummikub today (bought it last night). I've never played the game before although it's supposed to be a perennial favorite. And I think I'm hooked to it already. Its gameplay is very similar to that of mahjong (the two games are in fact cousins which arose from different cultures, based on the same concept), but Rummikub can be played by two to four people (no need to be strictly four!), there are two joker tiles which are pivotal throughout the game, and the laid-out sets can be REARRANGED to form new sets - this opens up many more possibilities, and you can literally feel your braincells dying from thinking about all the combinations and permutations in order to get rid of all your tiles. It's definitely one of the best two-player games (among Scrabble, Upwords, Mastermind, etc) - the reason why it isn't the BEST is simply because it makes me very tired after all that thinking! =) |
|
I seldom go to the library but the two books which I borrowed recently turned out to be wondrously good.
Alfian Sa'at's "Corridor" - a collection of twelve short stories - is a very smooth read. Simple stories with many undertones, ironies and subtleties which can only be truly appreciated by Singaporeans. Especially liked "Corridor" and "Umbrella". Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", on the other hand, may be smooth-reading at times but it also requires a bit of slow pondering in many chapters due to unfamiliar modern physics concepts. Fascinating subjects like the big bang, black holes and time travel have been discussed (backed by logical scientific theories, not science-fiction!), and they really changed my perspectives in many areas of Science (many theories are new to me since I'm not a Science major). The Anthropic Principle can be quite philosophical: "We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to observe it." Also liked Albert Einstein's quote, which very much satisfies geeks like me, and explained why he made very few friends in his life: "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity." Cool! |
|
Another hectic week. Thankfully that was the last week of the school term.
On Thursday especially, my mental state was zombie-like, but I had to appear chirpy to get things moving. Went to one primary school to do publicity for my school in the morning, with the help of several student ambassadors. Some of them actually forgot to bring their scripts, and one even made a fool of herself by repeatedly sound-testing a faulty microphone and caused a lot of disturbance to the other performers who were speaking at that time. I was utterly disappointed but I still had to control myself when I was chiding them so that their morale wouldn't be too badly affected. Went back to school to do some administrative work after that. Then, in the afternoon, my colleague, one student and I worked like laborers, delivering stacks of heavy school folders to various primary schools under the blazing sun. (I had a backache the following morning.) Felt bad for the student who looked totally drained out after the delivery (he volunteered, probably not knowing that it'd be so strenuous), so I gave him a treat and got to know him better over a casual conversation. Really miss such quality time spent with students. Haven't been able to do that for quite a while. Friday was a continuation of that exhausting Thursday. It was the last day of school. Had a 'breakfast with teacher' session with my form class, did a one-to-one conference with students who didn't do too well this year, then rushed over to another primary school for another publicity stint. There were a booth display and a talkshow presentation, and the student ambassadors performed very well this time (this was a different group from yesterday's). Went back to school after packing up the display (trophies, banners, folders, tablet PCs, etc) and returning the items to the rightful places, then attended a school meeting, which was a sharing session about innovative projects which some teachers undertook this year. By then I couldn't quite appreciate whatever great ingenuity that was presented already. Went home and had a therapeutic Scrabble session with my sister. Also bought a few concert tickets online too, hoping that music might be able to irrigate the "dryness" I felt inside. |
|
Haven't blogged much for the past two weeks as I've been rather busy. The Publicity Drive Two Thursdays ago, my team and I went to one primary school to run a publicity drive for our school. The preparation work was humongous - training student ambassadors to speak confidently, getting them to memorise school facts and programmes, scripting and rehearsing for the talk-show, designing the booth, getting ready the items required for booth display, slotting inserts and newsletters into our newly-printed school folders... Every nitty-gritty from the start to the end of the publicity drive had to be planned and executed by our team of five very competent people, who worked very efficiently and cohesively. Really have to thank everyone for the wonderful experience. A few more primary schools to go in the following weeks. Students' Results Finished marking the end-of-year exam papers. Quite pleased with my students' results. Everyone in my secondary one Express classes passed overall (one class had 45% distinction), and everyone in my form class got promoted. Now I'm just worried for my secondary four students, who will be facing the O Levels very, very soon... Baby Showers Attended two baby showers on last Sunday and Monday - two days in a row. Having hit the Big Three, I've already lived past the stage when people around me are getting married - they're now having babies instead. In one of the baby showers, there were four newborns from four different couples. I had much difficulty recognising which baby belonged to whom. (Don't all babies look the same?!) Also met a university friend who already has a five-year-old-ish daughter. Hmm... Makeover for Du Diable Brought my violin to the German luthier, Mr Andreas Franke, for bridge adjustment and overall cleaning last week. The after-sales service is free-of-charge once a year - being the cheapskate that I am, I can't possibly miss the offer, right? Was very pleasantly surprised with the results two days later. I must say I have maintained my Du Diable very well for the past few months, but after those two days, my violin looked like it had a makeover! Previously there're some parts of the varnish which used to look quite murky no matter how hard I tried to wipe it, and there were some bridge-shift marks which seemed irremovable, but all that was cleaned up by the young and patient chap who answered all my amateurish questions, and my violin now looks even more gorgeous than it already was. Really grateful for the miraculous skills of Mr Andreas Franke. The Blur Girl Last Thursday was the O Level Science Practical Exam. I was the PE (Presiding Examiner). The CPE (Chief PE) and I had to wake up at 4 plus to collect question papers from the distribution centre, and to manage the invigilators and make sure that all the exam shifts (from 8 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.) went smoothly. Everything was fine until noon when a China-Chinese private candidate walked into one of our labs. She was supposed to report at another school but she apparently got the school name wrong, and she marched past our security post and numerous "out of bounds" markers and walked straight into one of our labs when the exam was going on. Everyone was shocked by this unexpected intruder, but we remained calm and isolated the girl. We called up the exam branch, and their decision was to let the girl take the exam at our school. What followed was a mad rush to get witnesses (invigilators) to write statements, and to compile an irregularity report that detailed the sequence of events. That certainly spiced up our otherwise terribly boring day. |
|
好久没听到的儿歌，今天偶然在城市频道听到。早已熟悉它的旋律和歌词，听着、听着，却感觉到一股莫名的惆怅与无奈：
泥娃娃 泥娃娃 一个泥娃娃 也有那眉毛 也有那眼睛 眼睛不会眨 泥娃娃 泥娃娃 一个泥娃娃 也有那鼻子 也有那嘴巴 嘴巴不说话 她是个假娃娃 不是个真娃娃 她没有亲爱的爸爸 也没有妈妈 泥娃娃 泥娃娃 一个泥娃娃 我做她爸爸 我做她妈妈 永远爱着她 |
|
Today was our school's first Hari Raya celebration. I was one of the few teachers who were invited to model Malay costumes. Quite fun - to catwalk on the stage, pose, walk down some steps and down an aisle, join a female colleague to walk together, then pose again. Initially thought I would be quite stiff, but it turned out that I walked quite comfortably.
Still remember I wore the prince-like baju kurung last year (#1153)? This year I had the baju melayu, complete with songkok (the headwear) and samping (the fabric around the waist).  
|
|
Got the results for my ABRSM Grade 6 violin exam. Received a total score of 127/150 - Merit. 3 marks to Distinction, but I'm contented. Was particularly surprised with my sight-reading score and those rather flattering comments by the examiner. Either I've been too demanding on myself, or she's being really encouraging! Below are the detailed remarks written by the examiner:
Piece A (Grazioso) Some of the gracefulness of the music was conveyed. Tone showed signs of refinement although a more active vibrato would add warmth to the sound. Intonation was mostly centred and effort to adjust was evident. More bow control would have allowed an even more persuasive musical interpretation. (24/30) Piece B (Allegro moderato) Effort to present the musical ideas with style was evident, and a variety of articulation and dynamic colours gave interest and character to the playing. Tone was promising in the more gentle areas. Intonation was mostly secure despite a few insecure areas, but they were improved in the recapitulation. (25/30) Piece C (Blues #1) The playing grew in confidence as it continued. The style of the music was shown and the sweet tone added to the interpretation. A few intonation issues at the start were quickly recovered from. The atmospheric nature of the music was communicated - vibrato showed promise but needs to be more widespread. (26/30) Scales and Arpeggios Scales were well known despite a few intonation slips. Arpeggios were played at a good tempo but needed a little more focus at times. Dominant sevenths and diminished sevenths were fine. Double-stops were mostly in tune. (17/21) Sight Reading The reading was mostly accurate with a feel for melodic phrasing. More confidence is needed to show fluency. (18/21) Aural Tests Slight error in Di but other tests showed excellent musical awareness. (17/18) Additional Comments Promising musicality was shown in your refined approach. |
|
Annie Lennox's new album "Songs of Mass Destruction" deserves to be heard by anyone who listens to music. Enough said.
Dark Road Annie Lennox It's a dark road And a dark way that leads to my house And the word says You're never gonna find me there, oh no I've got an open door It didn't get there by itself There's a feeling But you're not feeling it at all There's a meaning But you're not listening anymore I look at that open road I'm gonna walk there by myself And if you catch me I might try to run away You know I can't be here too long And if you let me I might try to make you stay Seems you never realise a good thing till it's gone Maybe I'm still searching But I don't know what it means All the fires of destruction Are still burning in my dreams There's no water that can wash away This longing to come clean I can't find the joy within my soul It's just sadness taking hold I wanna come in from the cold And make myself renewed again It takes strength to live this way The same old madness every day I wanna kick these blues away I wanna learn to live again It's a dark road And a dark way that leads to my house And the word says You're never gonna find me there, oh no I've got an open door It didn't get there by itself |
|
看李安的《色· 戒》，可以是非常痛苦的。看着戏里的人物那样折磨自己，在相互的空虚中寻找灵魂，真令我越看越心寒。戏里没有渲染的悲情或爆破场面，但梁朝伟与汤唯看似不经意的小动作和沉默的眼神反而更加传神、更令人惊心动魄。正如报道所说的，没有了那些被删剪的情爱片断，《色· 戒》虽像是失去了故事的脊椎，但却仍是一部难得的震撼人心的佳作。删节的版本，尚且已把我的心揪得难以喘息（其实可以从未剪的部分猜想到那些片断惨痛、震撼的程度），如果看的是完整的版本，我或许会忍不下心把戏看完？
坦白说，张爱玲的原著小说，我看过了，并没看懂——原著里留下了太多思想的空间，像我这种不懂故事背景的人，真是很难理解文字间的动机和故事的走向。我是看了李安的电影，才明白张爱玲为什么会花了三十年才完成这篇看似轻描淡写的短篇小说。不得不佩服李安，纵使填补了故事的空隙，却没有流失原著的精髓、没有辜负了张爱玲的呕心沥血。 |
|
My colleague was invigilating a Sec 3 class for an English paper when a boy raised his hand and pointed at the question, "Explain the term in italics."
And the boy asked, "Is there something wrong with this question? My teacher never taught me how to write in italics!" |
|
Another dose of creative answers:
Q: Explain how the shape of the sperm cell helps it to carry out its function effectively. A: It helps you to find an egg in a woman's womb to fuse with the egg which results in giving birth when the bodies of a man and a woman are close together. Q: State the differences between a crocodile (reptile) and a polar bear (mammal). A: A crocodile can be made into a handbag but a polar bear cannot. |
|
I am a Math freak. And I'm not ashamed to admit that.
Today my colleague asked me an integration problem which her boyfriend in university could not solve. I looked at the question, had a bit of hunch on what method to use, but I totally didn't know how to start. I haven't touched math for years!! But to think that I've always prided myself on my prowess in math, how could I stumble over a problem that seemed so easy?! With much chagrin, I told my colleague calmly that I could not solve it, but internally I was pulling out my hair and scratching my own face like crazy. The first thing that I did when I got home was to dig out my math notes - all dusty and yellow - to solve the problem. And eventually I did (time to regrow my hair and salvage my face). I think. I am still not sure whether my solution is right. (The Math God is not confident of himself?!) Dear readers, if you're good in integration, could you please read my solution and tell me whether it is correct, or whether I've complicated the problem? A million thanks. 
|
|
The teacher who was in-charge of the Teacher's Day celebration and the students' online poll suddenly came to tell me today, that although only three awards were given out during the celebration (Most Friendly, Hunk of the Year, and Babe of the Year), there're actually three more awards which were voted online but were "censored" at the last minute "due to some reasons". Besides being Most Friendly, I was also the Most Caring and Most Inspiring.
Was really happy to hear that. Somehow being Most Friendly felt very superficial to me - like I only knew how to smile and be nice to students - it hardly felt complimentary. Being Most Caring would have had more meaning personally, I guess, that I've touched some students' hearts. But I would've never thought that I was Most Inspiring in the eyes of the students! And I would have felt very honoured to receive this award among all the other inspiring teachers around me, knowing that many students actually felt "inspired" by me. The irony of it all is that I am feeling the exponential fall in my energy level and enthusiasm for teaching as the years go by. To be honest, I think I've put in the least effort on my students this year. Like I've always told my close colleagues, I think I have reached a plateau, where teaching has become quite numb and procedural... Yet I've never received any awards for the past few more "energetic" years, and this year, I receive THREE. Most Inspiring, above all. The award (which was never presented upfront) certainly inspired me. |
Been teaching in the 4E2 classroom for a year, but I never noticed this piece of camouflaged artwork on the floor at the back of the classroom:
So I asked one student what's that supposed to be, and he replied, "Dead Man. The Dead Man of 4E2." Apparently it was created for the fun of it. So, I have been stepping on this "dead man" for the past year without knowing. =) Then I found this board on top of the class cabinet: 
Apparently this was made in remembrance of an eccentric boy who joined the class for half a year when they were in Sec 3. He disappeared mysteriously when the class moved on to Sec 4. Thought the resemblance was uncanny, especially the droopy eyes. Brought back many memories of that boy. And I found this witty tag on one of the ten-year-series... 
Next week onwards, the graduating classes won't need to come to school anymore as their O level exams are starting in two weeks' time. Going to miss them... Wonder if the Dead Man will stay there when another class takes over the classroom next year. =) |
|
Here are some creative answers from my dear Science students:
Q: In order to keep a house cool, the roof is usually made smooth and shiny. Give two reasons to explain why. A: So that the water can slide down the smooth surface more easily when it rains. (Hmm, very thoughtful.) Q: Explain why we should not taste any chemical in the laboratory without the teacher’s permission. A: If you taste the chemical, your stomach will become rotten and die. (Wow, so graphic.) Q: Explain why various cells have different shapes and structures. A: So that they can be identified easily, and not be confused with other groups of cells. (Mr Red Blood Cell probably doesn't like to be associated with Mr White Blood Cell.) Q: Explain how cells, tissues and organs work together to ensure an organism functions efficiently. A: The cell at first works alone, then it finds some friends to gather together to form a tissue. Then the tissue will start to work harder so that they can change to an organ. (Transformers, eh?) Q: State the function of red blood cells. A: To keep the blood red. (Brilliant.) |
|
Remember months ago I played one of the major speaking roles in a school video production which briefly describes our enrichment programmes? Finally watched the end-product today. Quite cheesy, but I thought it's really well-done, considering the effort put into the storyboarding and post-editing. But my hair was quite messy in the video and I didn't like my side profile... they should have told me to tidy up my hair and face the camera during the shoot! :/
On a totally different note. Did a quick count on the number of lady teachers in my school who have just given birth or are giving birth soon, and the number came up to a shocking NINE. NINE! That's not even including the guy teachers whose wives are pregnant, or those other teachers whom I know in other schools, who have also just expanded their family recently. Teachers are really "productive", eh? In my school, especially - in fact most of the nine babies are boys, the traditional grandparents must be very happy. Teaching ads should have this slogan, "Want to have a kid? Join teaching!" You would think that there must be many relief teachers in the school then, to replace the happy mothers, but no - you see, relief teachers can't add value to our students as effectively as full-time teachers (read: relief teachers cost extra money), so, as far as possible, we the full-time teachers have to take over those classes... Luckily I already have many classes to handle so I didn't have to take over these classes... No, I am not against procreation. It's just that sometimes I hope the school would just hire relief teachers to relieve the already-heavy workload of full-time teachers. Oh well. I'm sure there are some big pictures and budget constraints which I'll never understand. And I wonder whether we teachers actually become inspired to have babies with all these children surrounding us. Then I look at the kids, and I sincerely doubt so. |
|
Invigilated Chinese Paper 1 just now, where my Sec 1 students had to write a letter to their Chinese teacher in their primary school to talk about how they learn Chinese in secondary school. This was the full content of a letter written by one of the students (excluding the standard headings and addresses):
你教华文很好，我的华文本来不好，你教过后，我的华文很好。中学的华文很容易，因为你以前教得很好，所以现在我的华文很好。 I am not sure whether the primary school teacher would feel flattered if this was a real letter. |
|
A great start to the month of October.
Received my new school laptop today. After owning an extremely laggy one which I'd long forsaken and locked in my cupboard for four years, I finally got a decent school laptop which looks sleek and works well. Been using my own laptop because my old school laptop takes about ten minutes to start up, and another ten to load a regular webpage fully - if I'd used this laptop for lessons, I'd have no time left to teach. Anyway the new laptop is really cool! With a powerful processor and an in-built high-resolution webcam, I can now assuredly bring my own laptop home for personal use. Yay! My first official violin lesson with Hawa! Mich has quit due to family reasons, so Hawa has taken over. The first lesson felt good. Went through two tedious pieces, and I particularly liked how she tried to make sense of all the boring notes and phrased the music. October is going to be an exciting month! |