end of countdown [Sunday, September 30, 2007] [07:54 a.m.] [#1403]

Last week was the final week of teaching - exams start next week. Az and I have been counting down since the term started - the first thing we did when we met each other every morning was to announce the number of days left. Although the arrival of the exams means boring invigilation and tedious marking, at least we didn't need to rush for lessons and sweat like a pig in the classrooms. Celebrated the day at K-Box and Swensens with Ed, ZL and EL, while I braced myself for the string of activities after the exams - primary school outreach, O level invigilation (I am also the Presiding Examiner for the science practicals) and reservist. Finally watched Jay Chou's "Secret" (不能说的秘密). Not bad, although it was a little cliched. Totally felt like the work/fantasy of a musical geek.

quick reviews [Tuesday, September 25, 2007] [08:46 a.m.] [#1402]

Used my free buffet dinner vouchers at Carlton Hotel (Cafe Vic) on Sunday. The variety was limited and the food wasn't great. During our one hour there, we overheard one group of tourists complaining that "the food is bad" and another man spat out his wine and asked for a replacement. Just started watching the first season of "Dexter", a TV series about a serial killer who kills serial killers. Promising storyline, but I feel the first few episodes which I've watched are too draggy. Watched the Korean movie, "Marathon", a true story based on an autistic guy and his mother, who wanted him to join in a marathon. Heartwarmingly funny, and very touching at certain points - my tears streamed like a tap. James Blunt's new album "All The Lost Souls" is nice. Just hope the songs will not be over-promoted like "You're Beautiful". The Thrills' "Teenager" is great too. Can be put on a loop and repeatedly played.

fear and insensibility [Sunday, September 23, 2007] [01:04 p.m.] [#1401]

By now, anyone who surfs blogs or reads the newspapers should have read about this teacher who has made an online confession about his sexuality. Following Alf's dismissal, the limelight is on teachers and their sexuality again, and some people are (once again) making laughable statements which are quite - pardon my bluntness - brainless. Today, the Straits Times Forum carried one response from a reader who proclaimed, "Yes, teachers are supposed to provide unbiased advice to young students, but who is to ensure this? In fact, parents are supposed to do this important work, not teachers." Funny. Sometimes they question why teachers aren't teaching values in class, and sometimes they say teachers shouldn't be doing it. It's so convenient to push responsibilities whenever the occasion calls for it, eh? The reader then expressed her worries about the teacher's confession because she thinks that by doing that, "he has issued an open invitation to students to find out about his lifestyle and perhaps some of them might want to follow in his footsteps." Wow. Didn't know that sexuality is a fad which can be switched or adopted as and when it's "cool" to do so. Irony and hypocrisy cannot be more succinct in her final statement, "Let us not be harsh on them but let us not be blind to the dangers they pose to society and mankind." I may seem a bit homophobic at times, but at least I know to respect people who are different from me - in terms of opinion, race, sexuality, etc. Everyone is different! Being different from a self-righteous you does not make them monsters! And I wonder why the ST Forum published such an unconstructive response. Maybe the response was written by that clueless Alex Man (Wan Ziliang) disguised as a female reader? (Yeah, I don't know what he's doing in that star search programme.) Or maybe ST just wanted to stir up some sensational responses? (Then, yep, I've fallen into their trap.)

hi teacher [Friday, September 21, 2007] [08:29 p.m.] [#1400]

Ah!!! Saw my liuqin teacher on TV! She's on a makeover reality show on Channel 8. At first I couldn't believe it when I was surfing the TV channels and heard her name, and I was quite disgusted by how she stripped herself down to reveal her bloated figure - totally destroyed my impression of her as that very gentle lady fifteen years ago. But she won! And she looked really slim and gorgeous in that flowing gown, which accentuated her change. Met her before years ago in a shop. Never expected to see her again in this way. Maybe one day my ex-students would find me in a hair-regrowth TV progamme. Heheh.

terrorism in school [Friday, September 21, 2007] [04:56 p.m.] [#1399]

Early in the NIE days, we have learnt that when you're the teacher in a classroom, you're the one in charge. You set the rules and boundaries, and students have to abide by them. If for whatever reason there're two teachers in the class, you must make clear to the students who is the main teacher-in-charge, or else it will be difficult to control a class, as different teachers will have different expectations and some students will try to take advantage of the gaps. However there is one senior teacher in the school who always tries to interfere with what other teachers are doing in disciplining their students. She is in the disciplinary committee and she somehow feels that that gives her the right to overwrite whatever authority other teachers have over their classes. Today, I allowed a boy to go to the toilet and refill his water bottle when the rest of the class was doing self revision. Some of his friends asked the boy to help refill their bottles since it seemed convenient. When the boy came back, this senior teacher came over to my class and asked to see this "waterboy". Apparently she has been teaching next door, and she saw the boy walk past her classroom, and noticed that he only came back after some time. While I was in the classroom, this senior teacher questioned the boy why he took so long, like I was non-existent. The whole class was dead silent. When the boy said he had to fill up a few bottles and take the toilet break and that took him quite some time, the senior teacher scolded the boy and said that a toilet break should purely be a toilet break and he shouldn't be wasting so much time in helping his friends fill their bottles. Then she told the boy to see her after school and that she's going to call up his parents to tell him how he has been loitering during school-time. The boy is a well-behaved student and he was just trying to be helpful, so he was quite visibly frightened when the teacher said she's going to call his parents. I could see he was on the verge of crying. I didn't say much except in adding that I'd given him permission to go to the toilet, as I felt it's only professional to keep my cool then and not argue with a fellow teacher in front of the students. After the incident, I consoled the boy, and as I didn't get to see that senior teacher, I wrote a note to her, telling her it's sufficient to "just scare the boy a little" and not punish him too harshly as he has been a good boy all along. I don't know whether the parents were really informed eventually as I couldn't find that teacher and the boy after school. Don't you think the whole thing was totally ridiculous and being blown out of proportion? Why must she terrorise a little boy in front of the whole class? To satisfy her desire to feel superior and in control? To be frank, I seldom see her handling the "hardcore" trouble-makers (she leaves that to the other teachers in the disciplinary committee), but I always see (or hear about) her terrorising the "innocent". In any case, I feel she's being really intrusively rude to scold and punish the boy when the boy was under my charge - and for a reason which was rather, in the students' lingo, lame. It's like trying to discipline my son in front of me, with her own set of rules and expectations. Sometimes, when a neighbouring class is noisy, I will go to the class to see whether a teacher is inside. If there is no teacher there, I will give the class a dressing-down and punish those are responsible for the noise. If I see that there's a teacher inside, I will surely not step in to scold the class, and I'll just stare at the noise-makers from outside (usually the students will notice and then become quiet), as I feel it is only polite to let the teacher manage the class. If I physically stepped in, I will only embarass the teacher and undermine his authority. That is basis respect. She's been teaching for so many years, and she didn't know that? Indeed, when she has finished intimidating the boy and walked back to her own class, my class started asking me why I didn't defend the boy, and one girl even asked me why I was so afraid of that senior teacher. I think her uncalled-for intrusion has tarnished my image in the students' minds, which I have carefully established for the year. I almost regret giving her "face" and not expressing my disagreements about the unnecessary drama. This was not my first personal encounter with her that she has flaunted her authority (not counting the other unpleasant stories which I have heard - students call her "Monster (insert surname)" behind her back, and most teachers know and understand why students hate her so much, but of course we forbid such name-calling when we're around). Last year, when she was the invigilator for my form class in the streaming exam, she made one of my boys write an apology letter when the exam was going on - because the boy didn't greet her. After he's written the letter, she was still unhappy with it and asked the boy to rewrite the letter several times - all that took half an hour, and she scolded the boy loudly and told him which parts to amend, when the rest of the class was doing the exam. Does being in the disciplinary committee authorise her to do such an unprofessional thing? (The boy told me about the incident later, and the class testified to it. Of course I chided the boy for not greeting the teacher in the first place. Then I told him he could lodge a complaint if he indeed fared badly due to the lost time. Fortunately - or unfortunately - the boy did okay for the paper and didn't want to blow up the matter.) Some teachers are just not aware of the marks they inflict on children's minds when they're being unreasonable. I remember when I first started teaching, I scolded a girl severely for walking out of her seat to pick up her pencil, as I didn't allow anyone to move out of their seat during lesson. Then, I was very cautious and rigid as I was afraid students might try to do monkey business over my head since I was so green (especially when I look so young and friendly, ha). The girl was terrified of me after the incident, and she still remembers the incident even after she has graduated - but we're good friends now as I slowly learnt to strike the balance between being assertive and approachable, and my later teaching overshadowed that incident. I regret doing what I have done then. I was being completely unreasonable. If one unreasonable act could make such a deep impression, what about someone who commits such unreasonable acts on a daily basis?

no one is indispensable [Wednesday, September 19, 2007] [07:48 a.m.] [#1398]

"Do you know that she is leaving at the end of this year?" Of course I have heard rumours about it, but I never take rumours too seriously, "No, I didn't know..." "Oh, so now you know. She will be leaving us this year, and someone will be taking over her position." Hearing that from someone of authority, I suppose the rumours are true after all. The "she" in the above conversation refers to the teacher whom I have mentioned in "The Non-Reply" (#1394) - the teacher who has devoted her life to teaching but ended up unrecognised and lonely. Over her twenty? thirty? years of teaching, she probably hasn't taken MCs for more than five times. But she's on MC this whole week "because of an injured leg", according to some sources. If this happened years ago, she'd probably still drag herself to school on crutches. I interepreted her long MC as a sign of resignation and regret. To her, there is perhaps nothing much to keep her back in this profession, when it has "sucked" her dry already. My colleague once told me, "No one is indispensable in any organisation." It's really true. People come and go all the time. Whatever you have done in an organisation is merely transient and will very soon be forgotten. When you're ill, someone will take over your duties to make sure the organisation still functions. When you're gone, you'll quickly be replaced. Indeed, no one is indispensable. This statement may not be absolutely true within the family and friends (although it is still true to some extent), but in an organisation where everyone is supposed to be "professional" and unsentimental, no one can be so important that he will be terribly missed when he is gone. We just keep moving. No matter what happens, we move on. That is the reality of life.

11 hours [Friday, September 14, 2007] [09:16 p.m.] [#1397]

Start of the Responsible Self Learning (RSL) programme today. A room is dedicated to graduating students for studying, and teachers are rostered to be in the room so that students may clarify their doubts there if they wish. Three other teachers and I were assigned to be in the RSL room today. I initially thought not many students would turn up since it's only the first day of the programme, and most students most probably wouldn't feel the stress until the O level exams are nearer. However, the turnout was surprisingly good. The room was packed in no time, and I didn't have much time to breathe from 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m., helping students with their math and science (some were not from my class) - sometimes I had to handle three questions at one time as three students approached me at the same time. One of my students offered to help me buy lunch from Mac though, so I had a little break. Teaching for 11 hours continuously is NO JOKE. How come they have so many questions? I'm not sure whether I should be happy with the questioning crowd in the room. Were they just too lazy to think of the answers so they're approaching the teachers as a shortcut? If they've been doing their daily work and paying attention in class, why would they have so many questions? In any case, at least they're showing clear signs of interest to improve themselves. That is good enough for me. =)

the talk over chicken rice [Thursday, September 13, 2007] [09:05 p.m.] [#1396]

When H called me and said he wanted to have a chit-chat with me, I was quite happy that after so many years he still remembers me. I taught H about 4 years ago, when he was in my form class in Sec 2. H was a boy who came from Hong Kong, although he didn't speak English too well, he was an earnest, humble and respectful boy who learnt fast. After he went up to Sec 3, we seldom met anymore. So, when H called me and said he'd like to chat with me at a very nice chicken rice place which he recently found, I guessed he probably wanted to tell me about his new life, or maybe he needed some advice since he just got into poly this year. The thought that he might be some insurance agent actually crossed my mind, but he just graduated last year! I didn't suppose he'd start working in insurance suddenly? Of course, I agreed to meet up. Who would mind having a chat with an ex-student who remembers you? And so I looked forward to seeing this ex-student of mine since the call last week. After a long day of work and a mock exam in the afternoon for my Sec 4s, as I was already running late, I took a cab down to HDB Hub, where the supposedly wonderful chicken rice is. But when I reached the place and saw H walking towards me in shirt and tie, I knew something was amiss. This surely wasn't just a simple chit-chat session... When H said he wanted to share with me about something, I told him, let's have dinner first - I was really hungry, as I didn't have my lunch. We went to the chicken rice place, and the chicken rice there turned out to be indeed great. We didn't chat very much over the meal - and it became pretty clear by then that his main intention wasn't the chat. He's still the simple boy who couldn't hide his true intentions very well. After dinner, H said he wanted to introduce me to a place which changed his directions in life and led me to an office in the Hub building, where I saw those kind of very familiar time-sharing setting. Then H told me he's now a part-time agent, and that in the past he never knew what he wanted in his life but after knowing about this certain company, he has set his mind in business and he wanted to start by working in this company which inspired him. Then H offered to refer me to a manager who would tell me more about the company (he's still too inexperienced to handle customers so he could only do referrals now), and I told him that was enough. I felt cheated. A little hurt. Naive. And a little silly. That after a long day of work, I actually wasted time and some cab money for a student who merely took me as one of his first customers. Of course I didn't tell him all that, but no matter how he tried to persuade me, I just patiently told him I didn't want to hear anything more, and I didn't want to waste any more time on something which I wouldn't be interested. When he sent me off to the MRT station, his eyes were red and he looked really dejected - probably suffering from one of his first rejections on the job and feeling upset that I had not been supportive despite his enthusiasm. I advised him that it's great to hear that he's found the area where his interest lies and that he has specific goals now, but he should leave his options open before committing in anything first. He said he'll continue to strive to become a manager so that he'll get a chance to speak to me personally and convince me. I wished him luck. And we parted. This taught me not to meet up with ex-students so casually anymore. Oh well. At least the chicken rice was nice.

violin exam [Tuesday, September 11, 2007] [05:12 p.m.] [#1395]

September 11. Not a very auspicious day to have a violin exam. But the exam went very well. Usually I'll make some silly mistakes during exams but this time there were no major hiccups at all. "Grazioso" was calm and graceful. "Allegro Moderato" was powerful enough at the right places. "Blues #1" was the best - I played dreadfully off-pitch in my first bar, but I made it up with a really serene introduction and some very delicately beautiful treatment. The rest of the piece was perfect - better than any of my practices - you know it's good when you're moved by your own music. I was really moved at the end. The scales and arpeggios were all right, although some high-position notes were not high enough. Sight-reading was very challenging, with the piece in Bb minor - five flats in the key signature! I started well but the notes got pretty messed up by the second line. But I kept my pulse steady so I think I managed to scrape through. The final aural section was perfect, I think. So, I am happy. The year of multiple music exams (guitar, keyboard, music theory and violin) is finally over for me!

the non-reply [Monday, September 10, 2007] [09:00 p.m.] [#1394]

When my violin teacher asked whether I can request to leave school earlier on my exam day so that I can prepare myself for the exam, I laughed and told her the school will never be so accommodating since the exam is not evenly related to my profession. However, I decided to give it a try and emailed my superior last week (since it's the holidays and I didn't see her in school), telling her about my violin exam tomorrow and asking whether I can leave one hour earlier than the stipulated knock-off time. What I received today was a non-reply which told me that I'm excused from the meeting in the afternoon - no mention of my request to leave early, at all - as if it's such a silly request that it wasn't even worth acknowledging. I thought it might be better if I explained myself face-to-face so I went to my superior's office but she's engaged in a phonecall and I gave up waiting. Frankly I'm quite disappointed with that reply. Tomorrow is going to be my "heavy" day, with 9 periods of teaching (any teacher will be able to understand how draining 9 periods can be - there's no time to even take a breather). I was already prepared to finish teaching the 9 periods, take a cab and rush to the music school to warm up and have a bit of practice, then take the exam - with almost no break in between. If I can't have that one hour early-off, I won't be able to warm up and I can be sure I will definitely screw up the exam which I have taken nearly TWO YEARS to prepare. All I've asked for is just an hour off - which will otherwise be spent waiting for the afternoon meeting (which I cannot attend). I have never asked for offs ever, I only take at most one or two MCs a year, I relieve lessons for absent teachers even in my busiest days, and I think I have been doing my work well all along... And I can't even have ONE compassionate hour off to pursue my personal interest (because it's personal)? Self-actualisation is probably not required in an organisation? I will be taking MC tomorrow. Have been having a nagging headache anyway. I guess I have to be a bit selfish this time, to consult the doctor about my health, and at the same time, give myself a day off to rest and to mentally and physically prepare for the exam. Not trying to be dramatic, but this really reminds me of something which one elder teacher told me a few weeks ago, "Make sure you have your own life, or else at the end of it all, you'll realise you'll end up with nothing." When the teacher told me that, I really didn't know how to react - for decades, the school and the students were her life, but (there are certain things I cannot reveal here), let's just say, she ended up being unappreciated and undermined - the victim of some power play. I could feel the bitterness and pain in that soul-baring advice, and I knew that is the truth, and that is indeed the fate of many teachers who have dedicated their lives to education. Of course, there is always a brighter side to everything. We can look at the students who grow up to become responsible adults, or the satisfaction that we get when we're grooming our future generation. But the self-less sacrifices that teachers make (which are grossly different from all other professions) will always remain hidden, or marginalised and misunderstood. Okay, I'm veering too far off. Conclusion: I still love teaching. And I can understand the organisational perspective in this matter. No resentments at all. But I think I want my life too.

the piece from outer space [Saturday, September 8, 2007] [08:11 p.m.] [#1393]

I used to call "Blues #1" (one of my exam pieces, by Lee Burswold), "the piece from outer space". My violin teacher didn't say anything when I made the comment, but I think she silently agreed. The piece didn't sound like any other blues songs that I've heard before. With all that weird melody, long notes of nothing-happening, awkward passages and abrupt dynamics, it sounded like senseless background noise when I first sight-played it. Listened to the CD, hoping that I could get a clearer picture, but at the end of it I was still clueless. It was still, for me, a piece from outer space. However, as I practised more, I slowly got into the feel of it (maybe not the "feel" that the composer intended), and I grew to love the piece, more than any of the other more "orthodox" exam pieces. My interpretation is quite different from the CD recording - it's more melanchoic, and has that lazy, loungy feel, which my clumsy vibrato and murky positional shifts somehow complemented very well. Every time when I practise the exam pieces, I'll play this piece over and over again - the piece is just so "me"... Maybe my personality is "from outer space" too - not so easily understood and a bit eccentric at times - that's why the piece suits me so well... =) The thing is, I hated the piece at first, but I gave it a chance - I devoted time and effort to try to understand it - and it turned out to be one of my favorites. Are we so patient with people whom we detest on first sight? I'm not so sure. Hope I can bring out the feel of this piece on the exam day.

honored [Saturday, September 8, 2007] [11:51 a.m.] [#1392]

Was doing some random internet searches when I realised that this blog has actually been reviewed and quoted by a few netizens. I do know that it has been Tomorrowed a few times because I'm a regular reader of the bulletin website, but I didn't know that it's even been recommended by DurianTea, who created a nice collaged banner for my blog! (I don't think my blog qualifies as a "teacher's blog" though - it's more like a "rojak blog" - there are so many much better blogs out there which are dedicated to teaching.) Hohoho. Didn't expect this space for random babbles to be noticed by complete strangers. Totally flattered and ego-boosted. Hope my current students don't find their way here though. =)

in a flash [Friday, September 7, 2007] [06:21 p.m.] [#1391]

The prelims ended last week. This week is supposed to be the holidays, and I initially planned to read the last Harry Potter book, watch a few movies, and catch up on Bleach and Naruto, but what did I end up doing? Marked the prelim papers, conducted a one-day lab lesson for my Sec 4s, spent one day to set the end-of-year exam papers for Sec 1, one day to create the publicity slideshow for our primary school outreach (and I'm very proud of the final product), another half a day with the student school ambassadors - packing the publicity school folders and getting them ready in their "sales pitch"... And the holidays are gone in a flash. Next week is the beginning of another race to prepare my lower secondary classes for their exams. And next Tuesday is my own violin exam day. Wish me luck!

the end brings a beginning [Thursday, September 6, 2007] [01:50 a.m.] [#1390]

Been wanting to blog about this, but I couldn't find a suitable time to do so... If you remember Ak, the boy whom I have mentioned numerous times before - the one who lied about not smoking (and the father knowingly or unknowingly supported him), supposedly pierced his you-know-where, stole handphones in order to gain the recognition of the bigger boys, and exposed himself in the classroom to his group of guy friends... His father, who has been his idol and pillar, recently passed away due to a sudden heart attack. It was a very tragic piece of news indeed, not only for Ak, but also for me. I have been in contact with Ak's father very frequently, and I know that the father truly cares a lot for Ak, and Ak has always been very close to his father. Without him, I wonder how Ak is going to manage, especially when his mother has been suffering from mild depression herself all along. Ak is, after all, just a 13 year-old boy! While Ak always seems playful and up to some mischief, I've heard from his friends that he's actually a very helpful and amicable person. I spoke to Ak after that fateful day, and told him that he and his mother must now rely on each other and give each other emotional support to brave through the days to come. That was the first time when I saw Ak looking so fragile and vulnerable, as his lips were quivering when he was listening to me, and I really felt the pain when he showed me a strong look and nodded. Surprisingly, Ak scored an A for the science test a few days later (Ak usually fails his science tests). I really hope his father's death has pushed him on in a good way. If the tragedy has driven Ak to change for the better, I hope this effect stays. Before I leave Ak as his form teacher, I wish to at least see him successfully sail through these difficult times and do well in the upcoming exams.

i wish [Wednesday, September 5, 2007] [09:09 p.m.] [#1389]

After seeing that the students are still lacking in practical skills, I conducted a six-hour long lab session for my two Sec 4 classes today - three hours for each classes. For one class, the attendance was almost perfect, but for the other (the weaker class), only less than twenty students turned up. The 'O' level practical exam is just one month away, if those who need help do not make themselves available for me to assist them, what can I do? Came across this very affecting picture on PostSecret and I couldn't resist to share it (despite the spelling error). The expression on the baby is simply...

potluck [Tuesday, September 4, 2007] [01:32 a.m.] [#1388]

Back from potluck at Jim's. Met up with Jim, Jocelyn, June, Jane, Justin, James (so many J's eh?), GW, Benson and Edmund. Haven't seen some of them for a long time as they have either transferred to another school or have just given birth. Jocelyn's baby (Seth) was extremely lovable and well-behaved. June made me carry him - I'm usually hesitant about handling babies because I'm quite clumsy - but it really felt great to hold a little life in my hands...

water babies [Monday, September 3, 2007] [05:49 p.m.] [#1387]

Heard of water babies? These are the latest craze among the kids in my school. Basically we just need to drop their "seeds" in water, and they'll "grow" into these colourful, translucent bubbles. The girls told me that these babies will actually reproduce by themselves - and only those who are lucky and caring enough will be able to get them to reproduce - that got me quite puzzled. If these water babies merely "grow" into bigger bubbles, the working principle can easily be explained by osmosis. But if they really do reproduce, then I really have no idea how they do that! In order to convince me, one of the girls gave me a few seeds to try out myself. Conclusion? These water babies do not reproduce. Probably the sheer number gave the kids a false impression that they multiply. But I meticulously counted the total number of "babies" before and after a few days, and the number remained the same. Perhaps I'm just not lucky nor caring enough. :)

in retrospect [Sunday, September 2, 2007] [05:39 p.m.] [#1386]

Friday's Teacher's Day celebration was more tiring than any normal workday, but surprisingly I enjoyed it thoroughly. We had ACES Day in the morning, where students took part in inter-class competitive games. As teacher's participation would earn bonus points, I joined my form class for a few items, and we came in second, after all that sweat. Then we had three periods of normal lesson (yeah, so anticlimactic). Got lots of chocolates, candies, homemade cookies, cups (of all sizes), photo frames, plush toys, towels, etc from the kids. Aside from all that food, a couple of desk notepads and a nice planner, I really don't know what I can do with the rest of the stuff... Hmm. Only three pens this year. I still remember last year I received so many red pens that I only finished using them recently. Seriously red pens would have been much more practical for me. Not complaining though. It's the thought that counts - I especially liked the greeting cards with handwritten messages, and one little dog made from beads - and the dog came from a boy whom I always chided for his poor results and sloppiness. Very pleasantly shocked when I got it. Then came the concert. This year's theme was Retro, so the performances were mostly nostalgic dances of the 70's accompanied by the Bee Gees songs - the students danced really well, with those trademarked Travolta moves, Afro wigs, loud costumes and all (I wonder where they bought those clothes!). All teachers also wore retro clothes to join in the fun. I transformed myself to an ah beng of the 70's with the help of my dad's very well-preserved body-hugging Lycra shirt and white singlet, and caused a bit of a stir in the staff room when I walked out of the changing room. Everyone remarked at how I looked like someone from the Growing Up era, and the older teachers got really excited about the shirt as it reminded them of the long-gone fashion of the past. The outfit nearly snagged me the Best Dressed award, but I narrowly lost to a female colleague who came with gigantic plastic earrings, a rainbow headband and a matching outfit from head to toe - she totally deserved to win! I was awarded the Most Friendly Teacher award instead. This year, all the voting was done online by the students. I was quite surprised when my name was read as I thought I haven't been very friendly this year actually. After the concert, we met up with our graduated ex-students. Was especially touched to see the then-recalcitrants back in school, now respectful and mature. Had a long chat with my 4E2 students of 2005 at Tampines Mart. Talked about the old times and their new lives. Really glad that all of them are now happily occupied in their school or work - one of them is already a kindergarten teacher. Then teachers adjourned to Carlton Hotel for lunch. I was arranged to sit with the principal, so I felt a bit uneasy, but the situation got better after a couple of table games. One of these games involved getting one person at each table to be dressed up in outrageous retro using some additional materials provided. Unfortunately I got chosen at my table, and everyone eagerly gave me their gigantic sunglasses and wrapped my legs with trash bags (to mimic the bell-bottomed trousers) and balloons (under the "bell-bottoms"). Didn't win that game though. But I managed to win the second prize in the final lucky draw (probably the first time in my life?) - a buffet lunch for two at the hotel. When the school-planned activites were over, Ed, James, JJ, EL, ZL and I proceeded to the Settler's Cafe at Katong, where we immersed ourselves in rounds of Cranium and Saboteur. Eventually ended the night with a sinful supper and a long, hearty chat at Old Kallang Airport. This, turned out to be the BEST Teacher's Day celebration EVER.