It has been 13 days… and another 147 days to go… seems so far away, but at least time is still passing by each moment… Cant wait for june, to catch up on lost time with you and also to take a break from school… Even though modern science has tried to put a scale of measurement to time by using the seconds and hour,  i still feel that it is really something we cant measure and grasp scientifically… It is just like a rebellious child.. the more you want it to pass, the slower it takes… When you hope that it stalls for you at that memorable moment, you can always bet that it dash off like a cheeky child…

Week 2:

Met with some problems in classroom management… Tried to be nice and reasonable, but seems like you cant do that to some or rather many… Guess i gotta change my mentality and style a bit.. As far as I dont like, the whip seems to be a more effective option than the carrot.. Shan Jing has foresight.. He knew he will be a teacher long ago… so his email is zookeeper… Really need to learn to tame wild animals… The more they test you, the more you need to show that you are no pushover… Even if you are scared that you will find a punch on your face, you cant show… Its really a game of pretence, bluff and poker… You hide your true feeling, you look confident, you show that you have the better cards and see who will quit the game first as stakes are raised higher… Who will emerge the winner? The better bet seems to be on the teacher with the rules and school backing him up.. The teacher is just like the banker… Always with the advantageous odds…  but not all bankers win dont they… Show a tiny winy bit of hesitance, and you can lose your game…

Its like the animal kingdom, you fight the strongest, you win the strongest, and you are their leader… Next time another animal who comes along to stake a claim on your territory, you fight again…

The above may be true for the lower secondary… But i wouldnt say that it can be applied throughout on the upper Sec… Dealing with the hardcore upper sec requires diplomacy… If you go the hard way like the Americans did in Iraq and Afghanistan, you will suffer a long and painful time.. You cant pull out.. Even though you may seems to be in control, you will not be… The hard core students will be like guerillas, and terrorists… Disrupting your class with hit and run tactics… you will have no energy to tackle them when you got to look after the commoners.. the students who still want to study… In the end, you can only bear with them while they dont give you respect, dont do your work and sleep in class… No point shouting at them… You need diplomacy, you need love, you need to talk to them nicely.. Respect them first and hope that they hear your cause…

Come on, be a teacher… You will be trained to be a good poker player, zookeeper and even a soldier…

ha.. I survived!!!

I survived what I thought could be a nightmare… In the end it wasnt as scary as I thought… But of course there are things that are not so nice also la…

Previously I thought many students in the school would have been ah bengs and ah lian.. but in actual fact, majority of them are nice children.. It’s just that their results haven been as good, thats why they ended up in the school.. I hope i can help them get better results… Have been assigned to teach Lower Sec Science, Upper Sec Physic, POA and Social Studies… It is really quite sian to have to prepare for so many different lessons.. Things would have been much better if I can be given the same subjects and level, so i can really prepare better, more in depth and once and for all…It’s hard to keep track of the progress of different subjects and level…

Of course it is not an easy task to teach technical classes, many of the students are hyper and talkatives, while others have no interest in something they cant do well… the classes is generally too large for a single teacher to teach effectively as well… Got one class to stayed back for detention as they couldnt behave, and one student even walked out on me… and what can I do but watch and let him go, while keeping my poise and addressing the remaining students… Later found out that the student is quite well known among the teacher… Some how, the problematic kids always happen to have a less than happy family… So it is really important for children to have a happy family…

One good thing I find about the school is the support that teachers give to one another.. In general everyone is friendly la.. Though there may still be qualms about sharing of resources, but other than that, I think people are nice and dedicated… Also met my sec school Literature teacher there… Now we are colleagues! Mrs Ng- Lee from swiss is now a senior teacher there… Previously very scared of her.. but now i think she is quite a nice person la… And we even gossiped about the number of extra-marital affairs cases of teachers  from swiss… Seems like quite a few teachers there have marriage problems… dunnoe why huh…

I think it does not mean that if you get to a good school means the teacher will have an easy time.. things there could be even more competitive.. and the culture may not be good also… So really got the pros and cons.. Now i hope to be able to get into NIE soon!

Today is the second time i played MJ in 2010! ahhaha and i got to a good winning start! maybe this year will be a lucky year for me? ha, frankly i haven been in luck since long ago when playing MJ… last week shared with Jun An and won a few bucks.. today played with Shan Jing, Zi Yang and Daniel hahahhaa.. and won quite a bit.. hope it will continue! Cos i can forsee that my entertainment for the next few months could be largely Mah Jong sessions… ha

It has been just about more than a week.. But felt like it has been so long already… Time crawls huh… Fel’s school is going to start soon, guess she will be mugging soon le.. haa.. Really hope June come faster..  haa.. and it will be holiday period too! Now shall first look forward to CNY first ba.. It is always my favourite public holiday ha… I like to hear the CNY songs being played on TV and on radio.. just adds to the festive mood… Hope the Chinatown in US will also be full of the mood too!

This few days have been more than a rollercoaster ride… The mixture of feelings is pulling me in all directions…

Saddness for Fel’s leaving.. Happy for my Bro’s wedding.. Anxiety for my job starting…

Sent her off this morning.. and immediately i’m hit with the feeling of lost and void to have someone so close to me no longer around.. it’s like i have just lost a part of myself or a dimension of my life… it may sound over, but my life has been largely revolving around her… just feel like i have lost the axis of my life, and it’s spinning out of orbit, out of control…

On the other side, things are happening at home.. everyone is bz in preparation for my bro’s wedding… Feels kinda guilty as i haven been at home alot for the past week as i chose to spend more time with her… But as 2nd Jan approach, the hustle and bustle just get louder… Tml cousins and family will be coming to my house and it’s sure going to be a crowded and busy day…

Lastly… My much anticipation to the start of school has started to die off…abruptly… It is something that i have been looking forward to.. but after attending a school meeting and knowing what to expect or what i didnt expect.. I’m starting to get the gitters.. Questions start to surface.. Did i really made the right choice? Am i really going this route? Can I handle it? Am i just unlucky or perhaps it is really good training for me… Could i have been better off as an auditor? Suddenly i lost my confidence…

I have been assigned 6 classes to handle for the year… Out of the 6… 4 are Normal Tech, 1 Normal Aca, 1 Express class that has been branded “interesting”… Seems like they thought i will be a pro in handling Normal TEchnical students… Not that they are bad.. but they are always the less easy to handle class… But can i do it without any training? i have been dumped with the books that they are going to study..No other things.. No teachng aids.. No advice.. No training…

Basically i’m just scared.. plain scared… I know it is because its unchartered territory for me… things may not be that bad.. but there is a chance that things are really bad too… the stories that i hear doesnt help either… I can only take one step at a time…

How i wish i can fly to US too…

X mas haven been the holiday i love most since young…

1) When x mas is here, it means school holidays are ending…

2) I dont receive x mas presents from santa even though i have been a good boy…

3) i’m not a christian…

4) The streets are always congested…

5) There is no Straits times to read the day after x mas… I’m still missing my daily newspaper fix…

I feel apologetic for her… Cos i think i gave her one of her most boring X mas ever… Morning was for her to pack her luggage and for me to go grandma’s place to pray… Later we met up and i was washing the car again.. Not entirely washing, but just finishing the unfinished stuffs a day earlier…

Later was dinner with my parents and shopping at JP and the JW central.. At least there was some atmosphere at JP ahahah… there were alot of sales going on also! Originally wanted to go Audio House at Sims Drive to check out some home theatre system promotion, but was slightly too late…

Actually this year is the second time we spend x mas together… Our first outing was actually last x mas.. i wouldnt say that it was a date.. cos it was the consequence of a failed blading trip with the exco.. Ended up the 2 of us went out to buy present for our gift exchange ya and things developed thereafter…

Ya i really think i need to buckup to make next year’s 25 Dec more interesting.. guess i should have more time den as i shouldnt be working.. and there will also be less distractions like my bro’s wedding… ha

Yesterday was X mas Eve!!!

Okay we wasn’t as excited as the exclamations make out to be… Traffic was quite bad wherever we go… Even though we only remained in Jurong area, but i guess everyone was on a half day and we could see that many are out shopping for the festive season…

Met up at JE Mrt and proceeded for lunch before going to Daiso for her last few items on her shopping list… Managed to catch a couple of things there for the car and also our webcam at Popular bookshop before dropping by Sheng Shiong for some other things…

It can be real tiring shopping for things.. Took a rest at home before  i started washing the car… She is begining to get jealous of the amont of attention i give to the car… hahaha… Auntie they all came over at night to prepare for the ”ti qing” this morning… Didnt know that up till date there is still this practice of a “mei po” or match maker going over to the girl’s side to propose a marriage.. Though it seems more like a formality, there was still alot of preparation work that was done for the ti qing…

Lastly for the day… Ta bao chilli crab from the 24 hours coffeeshop for fel’s family for supper! it’s really nicer to eat the chilli crab on the spot.. Due to the journey to bishan, the crab gets slightly overcook as it was immersed in the hot gravy.. but it was stilll nice!!!

Though there was no log cake and atmosphere.. but i guess the chilli crab made up for it le ba!

Met up yesterday for Dialogue in the Dark @ NP with Shan Jing and Fera after reading KX’s blog… ha… quite interesting.. though we kinda expected what was coming, it was still an experience… People intending to visit the place should read less about what it is about, and it will be more interesting… The programme helps ppl to realise and feel what it is like to have one senses less…

When you cant see, you cant judge by appearance.. you judge by your heart and mind… Ugly and beautiful are just 2 meaningless words… there is nothing that is more aesthetically more pleasing than the other… and we tend to be more fair and equal to everyone…

After that we went to Bukit Timah Plaza – Wishbone restaurant for our dinner… Food was quite good and not bad… Price comparable to that of Austwine @ Farmart, and it has a wide variety of food from chinese to western. Though it has no exact specialization in a specific genre of food, this restaurant serve up to the expectations of us for their chef’s recommendations… I like it’s lamb chop!

After Wishbone was a short trip to Ikea for a stationary box for fel, and thereafter we parted ways to send double F home…

Yesterday i realised that Felicia and Ferarina both starts with F… Me and Shan Jing both starts with S… So double S went out with double F… hahaha.. okay kinda lame.. but just a realisation made by me…

Freedom at last from work…. 21st Dec marks my last day at the RWS and the start of my next impt ten days….

10 days to accompany her before she leave for the next 6 months.. Though it is not exactly long, but it will still be a period of uncertainty and test of our strength and trust in the relationship… After 31 Dec, it will be my brother’s wedding on 2nd Jan and my 1st day of official work on 4th Jan at Hong Kah Seconday…

The life we are going to lead for the next 6 months will be entirely different but i believe our heart will still be the same…

Day 10:

It was a good weekday morning without the need to wake up early for work! Off she went to get her vacination and textbook before we met up… Later in the day we went to the usual temple that we go to bai bai and Kallang to do my Public Service Card….

But the place is not opened, so no choice got to go on another time… Couples retreat has been on our agenda for some time.. hence we went to Film Garde to catch the show at kallang leisure park.. but the show hasnt been as interesting as we thought… Avatar is better wuahahhaa….

Dinner was back home, before we went for late night shopping at Mustafa! Things there are indeed cheap for some… But i think the electronics there is quite standard… the aisles are narrow and squeezy, hence it wouldnt be a good place to go if you have claustrophobia… Didnt get the web cam that we wanted, as it was out of stock and the price is not that cheap also… Thinking of getting a home theatre system for bro as well, but the price is so steep! Need to think of something else already… What would make a good wedding present???

You would be able to see many tourists there and i think there are nice food in the area too… Though we were hungry.. but we were just to tired go food hunting at 2.30am… so home we go… otherwise we will also be too tired the next day…

Just back from Genting Highland a few days back… this time round it was a road trip up with the Vios!

Okay other than the lesser than preferred power of the car, we also met with a few glitches with Kai Xiang’s GPS… haa… it blank out on us a couple of times and it was really scary… It made us lost our way on our way back in KL for almost 2 hours… Luckily in the end it was revived and directed us to the North South highway as we were travelling further and further away from the correct route…

Up in Genting, it was relax, sleep, eat, and CASINO!!! ahaha… how can we miss out the excitement in the casino after making all the way there… But it was not just casino la… we still went bowling, mushroom farm eatery, shopping and one of the best enjoyment was the movie! We watched AVATAR…

THis is really a must watch movie… I wouldnt mind watching a second time given a chance ha…. it is not just about the nice graphics even though the blend of sci – fi graphics and real life characters really added to the enjoyment. What i like most about the show is the plot and story line…

This movie depicts man’s greediness and how man think too greatly about himself… A cup that is full can never be filled is apt to describe man’s loftiness…. In the show, man found a very precious mineral in a faraway planet called Pandora… And they met with the native human liked species called the Navis. The Navis live in harmony and balance with their natural environment and everything that happens in their world is linked with the balance of life with their habitat…

Man thought of the Navis as some backward species and sought to evidict them from their home as it sat on huge deposits of the mineral.. but the Navis is never going to give up their home even if they are to lose their lives…

The show also featured a group of scientist who appreciated the livelihood of the Navis and tries to help the indigenous against the merceneries…

Reviews link the plot to man’s exploitation of nature, and how the americans waged wars against the other countries in the past and also how the indigenous americans were treated unfairly in their own land…

Even though the movie is about 2.5 hours, but i never felt so in the cinema as the show had me totally absorbed throughout … Yea, so if you are thinking about what show to watch.. Think no further…

Life havent been the most exciting these days… Looking at blogs of KX and RX made me realised that I am such a dull bloke!

Well, i think work really drain the life out of me during the weekdays… i’m also lazy to arrange meet up with friends, most of the time it is always my friends if any whom ask me for any outing or gatherings… Maybe i should do something about it…

this long weekend has been a good break.. Friday night was dinner with colleagues at Holland Village – 3 Monkeys… Food there is really nothing much to rave about, at least from my opinion… It has asian food, Italian food, western food, mexican food and deserts… Maybe it tried too hard to offer as many as possible, but lost it’s focus and speciality… Anyway my colleague tried their mexican food which was not too bad.. so perhaps it should focus on it ba…

Sat was a day of house cleaning… mop the floor, wash the car, clear up things… after whch joined SJ they all for dinner at sunset way.. has been awhile since we met up and it was an enjoyable session..

Today was at Fel’s house to help her prepare for her final presentation, and very soon got to report to work soon again tomorrow… Sunday blues…

i think i should try to be more happenng.. try more things, go chill out and experience LIFE… haa.. though i have no single idea how…

People must be tired of hearing this overused saying , you can see a half glass of water as half filled or half empty.. if want something fresher, watch this video.