Surprise! x2

As part of the Orientation programme held last week, last thursday was Teambonding Day that saw people from the different subjects placed in different groups. My team is made up of almost every subject area except for PE. How not wonderful when it was announced that all the teams had to participate in at least a sport coming up in September. Thankfully, we are the ‘game-on’ type and we submitted names into all the six sports listed (not that I am a ‘game-on’ person but what the heck!). It was also at this teambonding session that I met with an old classmate who, surprised surprised, is my teammate. Hence, I am in a team of 22, of which there are zero PE people and only 3 guys. The session’s facilitators planned a sort-of ‘Amazing Race’ around the campus. However, due to a lack of time, the team only managed to complete two games; Pass the hula-hoop and Entanglement. The hula-hoop one was easy as compared to the getting entangled where I nearly suffered a back muscle sprain because of the weird position I was in. In fact, many of those who were in this game suffered the weird-position scenarios of which I shall not go into detail. As for my team, we ended up with two interlocking circles that looked like the Infinity sign i.e horizontal 8. I could not remember all my teammates’ names except for a few like the team facilitator’s, the communicator’s and my ex-classmate’s (like duh). But now, I do know a few more as we had to be back there on monday for additional briefings where we met during lunch to discuss the Project Runway N*E and again with a few others yesterday at the National Library to discuss and sort out work for the Poster team which I am in. So, I am slowly but surely building up my list of names and faces within this one week. Not too bad for someone who gets names mixed up. Hha! By the way, the poster has to be up on this coming friday and the other little teams that are involved with the various garment designs have yet to finalise on something. I hope they will get it all done by the end of today so that there will be something up on that board.

Another surprise happened on saturday when I went to a music shop (of which I am a member) to buy a few books for a student. It was when I was at the cashier’s presenting my membership card that I was asked this question by the cashier, “Are you a teacher?” I was surprised. I replied in the positive, was asked to verify my residence address, of which I answered and had to ask, “Do I look that young?” of which the cashier answer “yes” and went on to explain that some students will use their teachers’ membership card to get discounts when paying for their books. Do I look that young to be a teacher??? There are two ways of looking at it; that I have a youngish look, hence, I will not have to worry about anti-ageing treatments and creams in the future, and that I look immature. Gosh! Anyway, I shall take it as a compliment and not dwell on the matter. So there.

Term starts this coming monday, the 4th of August.

That Spacious Desk

I remembered that I mentioned about me going to miss my desk from Y School. So, here is a photo of that wonderful and spacious desk in the ultra new and ultra cold 2nd staff office.

Rather empty, ya? But of course! I was only there for 4 weeks.

Cheerio!

A New Chapter Begins…

18th July 2008, Friday

Four weeks had gone by in a twinkling of an eye leaving me with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am happy that I will not have to wake up at 5.40a.m each week day in order to be early for school a.k.a I get to sleep for another hour. On the other hand, the other school is in the west, hence, I will have to spend about an hour of public transportation to get there. Pros and cons, pros and cons.

I will definitely not only miss the teachers there whom I got to learn from (it was a really an enriching experience, getting to tap onto their vast knowledge of how to handle teenage girls), but also those same young ladies (who can surely drive one up the wall with either their endless chatter or wisecracks, or both) whose names I started to remember only in the fourth and last week of this S.E. Sad but true, is it not? I said my good-byes yesterday afternoon, thanking the teachers for what they had done for me, packed my stuff and left. I will also miss my desk in that ultra new and ultra cold staff room. When I am less lazy, I will put up a photo of my very spacious desk. Hee!  

And so, a new chapter of my life story begins today when I had to travel west to register and get the Orientation freebies there. Neko, ZQ and myself went to check out the new foodcourt which replaced the canteen across the road. The food was alright and the pricing was not very pricy. It depended very much on what one wants to eat. And that was the foodcourt on the third level (?). The level below it, as one comes up the steps after alighting at the service no. 179 bus stop or the level one will see if one is walking on the bridge from the other side, serves mostly fastfood even though there is a famous sushi joint there. Well, it looks like I will have to tighten my belt and purse whenever I want to have a meal at that place as my pay is not in yet. Sad. Speaking of which, I had to open a local bank account in order for my future pay to be credited as the original account that I gave to the ‘paymasters’ was not accepted. Maybe it was because it was a so-called foreign bank account. Bleh… Looks like Char and Neko finally got their wish after having to nag me about it for the past three years. …-.-”… So, I emailed the new details to the ‘paymasters’ and I do hope it will work. Blah. Annoying. After much thought, Mum and I assumed that it may be easier on their end when crediting all of our pays into the local banks’ networks like the CPF and such. Maybe. Who knows?

Right. I am now going to get some things done like changing my new network password.

Ja!

So far…

What was supposed to be a gathering turned to a date. How unfortunate… *note the sarcasm. A sort-of gathering for classmates of the O’Level Music Programme from 2004 that was more or less been arranged for a month was to be held yesterday (Tuesday, 8th July) evening at Bugis. However, only turned up, including me. The other was Wanwen who was back from Australia where she is now studying for a vacation. So, yes. It was only us two. We had a good talk over dinner about things happening in our lives since our last lesson before the O’Levels back in 2004. For dinner, we went to Ma Maison at Bugis Junction that serves Japanese-style Western food. She had the Hamburger Steak while I had the Japanese Curry Rice as I was not interested in the other food. Lol! Unbelievable but true. So, we talked, and talked, and talked. Quite boring, ya? But it was O.K to me. And it was only yesterday that I learnt that she and Dora were from the same primary school. Wow! Anyway, I was late for the meeting (got there at 7.30p.m) and we left at about 9.20p.m. It was a short meeting as she had to go home to pack for a week-long trip to Shanghai this morning. So. That is about it.

Oh! Mr. Stead came to observe my teaching in the afternoon. All I can say is that I passed. I am not going to say type more. Heheh!

I only had one lesson today. Kind of a yawnz. Right. It is now time for me to do a major yawn.

Should I bring my PSP along tomorrow as I will only have two lessons???

3rd Week of S.E

Time really flies. Most likely with huge white wings like a swan. It flies especially fast when one is living day to day and enjoying it instead of dreading and hoping for the week to draw to a close.

As for me, I enjoy being in school (as a teacher) and interacting with those young minds who some think it totally uncool to be spontaneous and join in class discussions opened up by the teacher. How annoying. However, there are some who do answer the teacher’s questions with their crazy opinions. This is the class that I like. Yes. I prefer interaction a.k.a crazy answers rather than talking to the cold air-conditioned air.

Classes A & Z are totally opposite. Class A is the better class where 80% read and play music whereas 80% of Class Z do not play music at home i.e. no musical background. Guess which of the two classes is the ‘lively and open to disscussions’-type and which is the ‘talking to thin air’-type.

The truth is I feel happy when my students are happy. I feel even happier when they answer my questions, be it wrong or crazily-wrong. I do not care as long as they answer me as it shows that they can think and they are not afraid of being heard. Especially when they like to sing. Yayyy!!! We did some singing in class on Friday. Unfortunately, I obviously feel sad disheartened when they do not respond to my questions. Makes me feel like throttling them… Oh well… It is another lesson about human beings of Sunny Island.

My NSC will be coming in for a formal observation in the afternoon. Thank goodness I had review my lesson plans and such this morning. Hope it will be alright.

Last thursday was the Feast of Y School’s patron saint. Hence, there was a Mass held in the school hall after morning assembly. The homily was about Peace as the celebrant hoped that the students will find peace within themselves so as to make the world a peaceful place. Peace.

I spent quite a lot of $$$ on Sunday afternoon. I bought for myself a Sony Picture Station. :D It was a steal.  And I will not delve further into it. Instead, I am going to sleep. Good night. 

[I too dread waking up so early in the morning. Looking forward to long hours of sleep over the weekend.]