ThE rOaD nOt TaKeN.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The discussion started off a little shakily as I brought up something for discussion-
Me: Remember how we have decided on which book to use for the assignment?
Az: Ya, what's up?
Me: I know you have already bought the book, but I thought that you could take a look at this one. I feel it has some valuable teaching pts! *hands book over*
Az: *browsing*Okie, this looks interesting...
Me: *with the thickest skin on display* Well, perhaps we can list out the pros and cons of using each book and decide after that?
Az: Hmmmm....
Me being the one with the itchy fingers, decided to rock the boat with an alternative book. I knew it was going to be tough as my friend Az really like the illustrator of the book that we had chosen earlier. We ended sticking with the same book.
Although we spent 15min comparing the books, I feel it was time well-spent. Spent the next 1.5h typing up the notes of the discussion. Grabbed a sandwich from the canteen and my favourite concoction from the fruit juice stall(Green Apple and Yakult) and went to class.
The lesson was ok but as it went on, I felt that the lesson material was becoming quite unintelligible, which is a bad thing. By the time I left, I really felt even more confused when I first stepped in, which is worse. What the??? Luckily, I should be able to consult with SWMNBN tomorrow as she is the coordinator for the course!
Found out during the Bio lecture that we are going on a field trip to Sungei Buloh on Sat evening, so I should have lots of nice photos to share when I get back...cool! (time to warm up the old slide maker...)
Circling Square by Humpback Oak
Labels: class, discussions, humpback
Monday, September 24, 2007
This is a true story for 6 Diamond:
Once upon a time, there was a little kid who went through life in a happy-go-lucky way. He went to sch like other kids and had fun during recess like other kids. As he went up from P1 to P3, life was about having fun and he was very surprised when he had to change schs at P4 after going through some tests which included lots of symbols and pictures.
He ended up crying on the 1st day of P4 as he missed his friends in the old sch, but as time passed, he gradually forgot about them and learnt to enjoy his lessons which seemed to be different from some of the other students in the sch.
Soon it came time for him to take his PSLEs, and as this was a long time ago, PSLEs were not as scary and stressful as they are now. He just went through all his lessons, doing his work accordingly. During the PSLEs, his classmates were all so relaxed that they made it a point to go to the park next door after every paper to play soccer. When the time came for the little boy (okie, he's P6 now, not so little) to collect his results, he wasn't really worried as he sat for each exam, trying to remember 100%(unsuccessfully, of course!) of all his lessons.
When he looked at the results slip, it turned out that he had done pretty well, not the best in sch, but good enough to go to sec sch (actually he didn't even think that far ahead and was already guaranteed a place in sec sch, but tt's a diff story =))
Years later, he realised that no one really looks at PSLE results anymore. As he went from sec sch to JC and to the university, each previous exam's results slowly drifted away into his memory like leaves along the river. He noticed that studies are only a way of getting what you want in life and even if you can't do well in studies, nothing beats having a positive attitude and the most impt lesson that he learnt in sch was to learn from his mistakes.
The End(for now).
Gd luck for ur exams!!! =)
Labels: true stories
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Over the last week, there were reports to hand up, assignments and even a presentation. In preparation for the presentation,I ended up staying up the whole night to finish(pls don't ever try this!!!) but it felt good at the end.
For the presentation, my friend Kirk and I dressed up as a scientist and a chef. I'm gonna include the pic here and post a bit of the video later in the week when I have the time.
The second one includes my tutor (SWMNBN) who is this amazing teacher when it comes to English, thanks to her, my booklist has increased exponentially. Woot! Incidentally, she taught DW when she was at NIE too!
We had a lot of fun during the presentation and I think having the costumes made the whole lesson more enjoyable.
I found that during the last week, there were times when I couldn't even study/do work for more than 15 min and yet there were times when I could do in 1 hr what used to take me 3hrs or more(sort of like a supercharged learning machine). I think it's about when the stress level is just right and your body uses it like a shot of NO2 into your engines(if u've seen Fast and Furious or Initial D, u know what I mean)
All in all, I'm glad that the past week has shown that there are times when I can do it, I just need to re-create the same conditions to boost my learning speed permanently.
DW has been sick all week and so have spent a bit more time taking care of her and trying not to fall sick myself. As usual, staying happy has helped a great deal!
It was at the end of the school year, and a kindergarten teacher was receiving gifts from her pupils.
The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it overhead, and said, "I bet I know what it is. Some flowers." "
That's right" the boy said, "but how did you know?"
"Oh, just a wild guess," she said.
The next pupil was the candy shop owner's daughter.
The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is. A box of sweets."
"That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl.
"Oh, just a wild guess," said the teacher.
The next gift was from the son of the liquor store owner. The teacher held the package overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop of the leakage with her finger and touched it to her tongue.
"Is it wine?" she asked.
"No," the boy replied, with some excitement.
The teacher repeated the process, taking a larger drop of the leakage to her tongue.
"Is it champagne?" she asked.
"No," the boy replied, with more excitement.
The teacher took one more taste before declaring, "I give up, what is it?"
With great glee, the boy replied, "It's a puppy!"
Oh yeah, went down to Chinatown Point on Sat to watch Kids Central's One Minute of Fame as Ros Atrisya was participating as part of Tres Roses in the Group Section. They came in 6th but I think they had a lot of fun! The atmosphere was so loud that there were many times when I had to cover my ears just to protect them (sort of like an LPS assembly on Monday!).
I was really proud of her for following her dream and trying their best, I only managed to catch the results but I'm sure someone will post the video soon.
Cheerz! =)
Labels: DW sick, hard work, joke
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Friday was a relatively short day in sch as I had only 2 hrs of lessons. Went to the Jurong East Regional Library afterwards to look for more books. After walking from levels 1 to 3 (via escalator, of course), I was a bit confused as I could find the children's section. A bit paiseh to ask the librarian, nobody else around seems to be lost...Almost reached the conclusion that JE library does not have a children's section(they have a very nice teen section) but decided to play safe and check at the info counter.
"It's in the basement."
"Oh, thank you!"
They have a basement???
This place has lifts and escalators but apparently the escalators don't service the basement. Grrr...
Later that night, I was leaving the library (in true Santa Claus style) when the sensor alarm at the entrance sounded. Fortunately, the security officer was quite nice about it and asked me for my receipts. After fumbling around for the receipts, I hurried passed them to him for checking. He indicated a small little mark "@" next to one of the books on the receipt which meant that the book had not been desensitized. Minor problem caused by a person who is obviously in a rush. Quickly went to pick DW up without further delay.
The 1st part of Sat was spent in town as I met up with Kirk to work on the Thurs presentation. When we reached the library at Bras Basah, there was about 10 more minutes before opening. It's really quite surprising to see so many people waiting (reminds me of the Hello Kitty queues). The moment the sliding doors were opened, everyone rushed in (you would think that they had never been to a library before) and I think since exam season is here, people are also 'chionging' for the best seats in the house to study(and blog, heheh).
We quickly grabbed the books we wanted and adjourned to Macs @Bras Basah for discussion. After polishing off a Filet, we were ready to start but couldn't due to some technical difficulties(no power supply for SnApPy). So we ended up at Gloria Jean's @Raffles City who make a nice Cookies and Cream chiller (their version of ice blended coffee, yum!). Went through the whole discussion without much disruption except for this lady who was going around the entire mall trying to sell foot massages for charity (you have to visit the stall after buying the pen which entitles you to the service).
Picked up a couple of CDs from That CD Shop afterwards as I was in a retro mood again...
Evening was dry swim with MIL and DW. MIL had brought the family dog Snowy to our place. Snowy is very affectionate but a bit of a slob(she likes to salivate all over the place) and forgets her toilet training when she gets hyper excited. We've already had 2 'accidents' during previous visits but DW insists on MIL bringing her for visits... sigh!
Sunday morning was spent with my mom and sis as we went to Sushi Tei to celebrate her b-day. Not particularly good as I'm not a fan of Jap food although it was fun watching the chefs at work (I was wondering how long it took the chefs to learn their skills). Dessert was ice cream from Gelare which was nearby.
Afternoon was spent cramming with most of Singapore at Chinatown as we went to buy some toiletries and DW had to pick up her SK II products from OG. Really jam packed as we spent almost 30 min in total to get in and out of the carpark!?
Went home to recover from all the excitement and exertion, and still feel kinda tired as we woke up pretty early this morning.
Alright, looks like it's back to work! Have a good week ahead!
Labels: group work, shopping
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Saw this on Oprah the other day:
Realised that I didn't manage to do my reflection for QSE501 yesterday so here goes(imagine time spinning back approximately 24 hrs):
The session was on poetry which was quite interesting as everyone enjoyed the different types of poems that was introduced. Although we didn't have a chance to try outyr hand at writing poetry, it was still fun to remember what it was like to compose and try to capture a feeling in a few words.
Presenters didn't dress up, but I think they put in the effort to choose great examples from Shel Silverstein as well as other not so famous poets. Personally felt that the discussion was hijacked to some unimportant points so that took a bit away from the presentation.
It was good to revise and learn some of the other stuctured poetry types.
Okie really feeling tired now so much so even typing is draining... Went to bed really late last night or early this morning(dep on ur perspective). =((
I want to include in 2 pics of some activities we did during lab yesterday (trying to be like our students). The one on the right is a model of an insect using grapes and the one
below to it is a model of the human digestion system complete with inflatable stomach.
So tired that I fell alseep in class twice today, fortunately I didn't et caught. Whew!
Can't wait to go home so that I can 'rest in peace'.
Labels: sleep deprivation
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Things are back to normal at home, just had dinner at Food Junction at Lot 1. Not too bad although there was this bit where I ordered a chendol from the dessert stall, then after waiting a couple minutes, the worker looked at me and asked me for my order again. Then her colleague quickly told her that I had already ordered...so malu right?
Lessons today were quite light as didn't have to think too hard...although I was busy working on my assignments during the breaks. Continue my chionging soon!
Today SWMNBN conducted a briefing for the assignment for her course, and surprised me when she looked at me in the lecture hall and asked, "Anthony, is it time to start the briefing?" Apparently the clock was inaccurate and the responsibility fell to me to decide the starting pt. Which is actually quite stressful as it means that the people who come later will miss out on some of the info in the briefing. I don't like to be the bad guy...
Shout out to my travelling buddy who visited and tagged today!
Okie, time to get back to work!
Labels: hard work
Monday, September 10, 2007
As a result, I woke up at 5.45am covered in perspiration, it was really hot last night!
School was pretty normal except that I found out that one of my group members had decided to resign from being a teacher and the course. It was pretty sudden and we only found out during the group meeting and no one hadd heard about it except for Joyce who was pretty close to her.
So we have lost a potentially good teacher, I understand it was due to her family commitments. T_T
The gd news is DW is not mad with me anymore... whew!
Oh well, need to push on...lots of assignments due!
Friday, September 7, 2007
Had a good discussion with some of my friends at Macs United Sq this morning(after wandering around like an idiot at 9.45am at Novena Sq trying to look for a non-existent Macs...) After the work was done, we took turns to complain about how stressed we are, how tutors can be so unfair, blah blah blah... which is good cos it's always good to know u r not alone (misery loves company)
Went over to Nan Hua PS in the afternoon on an emergency mission, DW had brought the digicam for her kids' chess com but didn't bring any batts (cos I was charging them). Simple directions, just alight at Clementi MRT and walk towards Ave 6, easy right? Not really when you have to walk about 800m in the hot afternoon sun carrying a full backpack (SnApPy, textbooks, pencilbag,reference books + file + 2 cups of milk tea with pearls). Met Ms. Woo YY at the sch as she had brought in the LPS team for the comp. She looked quite tired and took a little while to recognise me(has it been that long???). Maybe she's xian cos sch's starting in a few days time?
DW was not having a gd day as she had just spent the last 15min 'fighting' for her sch team's score based on some false info from her team captain, so when she was told the truth by the comp judge, she felt really stupid. Tried to console her and advised her not to 'blast' the kid too much. Classic eg of how sometimes teachers try to fight on their kid's behalf only to be disappointed by the kid.... pls don't disappoint ur 'chers ya?
After dousing the 'fire', I took the bus to the library. A bit paiseh cos there was this lady who was trying to alight at the same stop and I was quite slow to help. Ended up it was 2 makciks in front of me who gave her a helping hand instead of the big strong man T_T.
There are actually quite a lot of people studying here to my surprise. Even though it's the hols, all the tables are filled and you can even see people doing work seated on the floor. So I'm hoping that I'm influenced by them and can concentrate better. Gonna finish off with a clip from YouTube on the most publicised movie at the moment(don't forget to laugh!):
Labels: chess comp, friends, library, magic rat
Thursday, September 6, 2007
With experience, we learn to anticipate when the pace gets heavier and prepare ourselves mentally. For me, this week is about knowing that it's time to get busy and psyching myself up for the challenge. It's also about knowing that I want to do it but there are still periods of self-doubt where I don't see any progress made and I question if I'm heading in the right direction.
I read earlier last week that Mother Teresa(one of the people I respect but have never met) grappled with doubt as well in her final years. So I guess, it is something that we all face at some point in our lives without exception. Despite her doubt, she still persevered with her life and her vocation/calling and helped countless people deal with their poverty and sickness. I think I read somewhere that being brave is about doing the right thing even when you're afraid. Perhaps determination is about doing something that needs to be done even though you are not 100% sure.
I wish I could be sure. My body is ready to chiong but my mind is still at the service counter asking for directions. Which makes for a very uncomfortable condition. My only hope is that I know this is a temporary set-back and I will bounce back soon with double or even triple power...(like Superman reborn). However, while I'm still in this state, I don't have to like it.
Bleah!
(as you can tell, I'm waiting for my positive thinking to kick in...)
Labels: self-doubt
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Woke up in the morning almost wanting to abandon the seminar as I didn't have any kakis with me, but as my application was sponsored, it didn't feel right to waste the money. On hindsight, I suspect the sponsorship from the organiser could have been a ploy just to make up the numbers (it would have been quite embarassing to invite the Minister of State for Education to an event with less than 50 people...) but that is just guessing on my part.
Spent $4 on parking coupons before realising that they offered complementary parking (serves me right for not checking...)
In the past, when I attended seminars, I always felt a little out of place. Seminars are social events in which you are forced to interact/socialise with strangers esp if you are the one who didn't bring any friends. Sort of like the uncomfortable wedding dinner or the funeral wake except there are more strangers. So I decided to take the initiative and ended up befriending a group of teachers from ITE. Heard some interesting stories from them about ITE students. Although it is purely anecdotal, apparently some of them are not really there to study, so they smoke, sleep, come to lessons late, siam sch or come to lessons without bringing anything... which is quite sad. However, it's tough for a lot of them who are also working part time as well, to study and work concurrently is really difficult.
Those of us who have the opportunity to study without having to work at a job should feel really blessed and not spend their lives moping around feeling so emo all the time!
The food during the seminar was not very good. I took a brochure on wedding banquets from the club but after today, I don't think I can consider them for my wedding dinner...not worth it foodwise!
I thought that overall the content presented in the seminar was not really good as there was a big variation in the usefulness of the various talks and workshops. Some of the presenters were just talking and talking about big theories without putting in any analysis or explaining the significance of what they were presenting. I kept getting the impression that they were talking about concepts in general without really getting right to the topic which was very frustrating. It did not help that the seminar leader sounded like a gospel minister and spoke like he was perpetually high...
I was interested by some of the software that was showcased during the MDA presentation. They introduced:
- Animaker (an animation software which had been used during the N.E.mation comp)
- Koobits (a software that allows the user to create e-books that are interactive)
- Podcasts (very interesting...must see how I can put this in my blog!)
- Newsmaker (I think LPS already has this, will want to fiddle with it when I have a chance!)
My main takeaway from the whole seminar:
I think it reminded me why I joined the teaching profession. I wanted to make a difference and help kids to grow and become better people! As the irritating seminar leader said, we may not be able to impact every student that we teach, but as long as we manage to help at least one student in each class, it is already something to celebrate.
Finish up with an excerpt from this poem from Dawna Markova:
"I choose to risk my significance:
To live so that
which came to me as seed goes
to the next as blossom and that
which came to me as blossom
goes on as fruit"
Adios amigos!
Labels: seminar, Taking things for Granted, teachng
Monday, September 3, 2007
Yeouch!
It is actually harder to do than just attend lessons and absorb. Add to the fact that most of the students are rushing assignments which will be due after the break, we have a lot of stressed people...
Time for a reality break:
RECAP:
Had a late MJ session with MIL and DW on Friday which ended on Sat at 530am. Went for breakfast at the Redhill market and went back home to zzzz. Woke up again at 11am as I was supposed to meet Kirk to go chiong the COMEX fair at Suntec. Dragged my sorry butt to the MRT and reached Suntec at 1155am... 10 min late but not critical.
Went to KFC for lunch and hit the show shortly after. This year's show is quite tame as I think some of the big names were not advertising or making such a big showing...however I noticed a good deal on a wireless presenter which was going for about 1/2 price ($69.90 instead of the UP of $139). I made it home by 2pm. Slept at 6pm and did not rouse until the next day! Power sleep for the 1st time in a long long time.
Sunday was a recovery day as I woke up early to grab breakfast for my wife. Talked to my mom on the phone and cancelled dinner at her place as she was sending my sis to the airport and wanted to go shopping at Tampines.
When DW woke up, we decided to go out because the neighbours were playing MJ with the door open. DW was very irritated with the sound, which is surprising, since we play so often. We popped into town to return the cowboy hat and then went to CCK Lot 1 to release some stress via KBox therapy at 4pm. Couldn't really relax because of the looming assignments so didn't really sing that many songs. They chased us out at 9pm and we went to the arcade to play Big Sweet Land (DW's fav). Now we have another Piglet toy... Felt a bit hungry after that so we went to Mr Prata at Evans Road for supper. Don't think we will be going there ever again... Expensive and the food is only so-so. The only incident was when I noticed 2 men behaving suspiciously around Ah Beng. When I went to check, they were leaning on Ah Beng like they owned the car. In fact, they didn't stop until I pretended to take something from the car... They promptly parked their butts against Ah Beng after I went back in. We decided not to take any chances and came back in 2 min to deny them the use of Ah Beng! What the???!!
I have never seen anyone as lazy as those two chaps... reached home and ended up watching a bit of Nip/Tuck (which is actually a pretty intelligent show but due to the themes, Mediacorp has to put it at ungodly hours).
Some thoughts about Teachers' Day:
Had a gd time at LPS, it was really good to see the kids again. I really missed all of them. Although I didn't get a chance to speak to all of them, but just to see them and have them recognise and greet me(some of them were never ever taught by me!) was fantastic! I enjoyed watching the tribute by the P6s for the form teachers, I wonder how long they spent on the video clips(looks like Windows Movie Maker). It's a pity that Mrs Tan wasn't around to see the show but I'm sure 6D will find a way to let her see their masterpiece!
I had heard from the teachers that the results from 4A were not good, but I think they can still do it for the SA2. I'll be sending them something special to cheer them on! I hope that I'll have a chance to return to LPS to teach. *crossed fingers*
Labels: E learning, Karaoke, Teachers Day
