Malay Wedding

Attended the first malay wedding all my life...

This is what you get if for 6 years, you stay in a Chinese school...then get posted to an NS unit which is dominantly Chinese and Indians ...

Ahhhh...Glad that in my working place, there are colleagues of all sorts of race, religion and background....

Beautiful setting...beautiful music and culture... Of course delicious food as well.

Thank you for inviting me to your son's wedding. Experiencing other cultures is simply fanscinating. Gamelan performance, Silat performance...malay Kara-oke... wow!

Back to church in the afternoon. In the evening, went Queenstown Shopping Centre.

The joys of a teacher...enjoying when students are suffering in their studies...
The time will come..when students enjoy..and teachers suffer during marking time...

Last day of lessons

Official lessons of this year is officially over. I'm relieved, and also felt a bit sentimental. Relieved because no need to prepare anymore lessons, mark scripts, and set papers... sentimental because i will certainly miss their them. After the holidays, they will certain grow bigger ... and after that, dunno whether they will change or not..

Haha...anyway...all good things will come to an end... more space to breathe too...

All the best for your examinations!

P.S. I was emo yesterday coz my new digital camera chooses not to work with my laptop..whereas it works well with other laptops...grrrrrr.... so much for 6 hrs of trouble-shooting!

Mixed feelings

Overwhelmed by mixed feelings today. These were the feelings that were experienced...

Worried, sad, anxious, disappointment, grateful, supportive, tired, joyful, inspired, impatient, warm, amused, thankful, angry, frustrated, helpless, happy, loved, strong, sweet, focused ...

I'm turning emo... am I?

I don't know about tomorrow, but I know who holds my hand...

All the best for my students who are taking their exams.

End of a dark tunnel

It seems as though I have seen the light after walking through a dark tunnel of endless markings, quiz and exam setting, giving remedials, piles of admin work and continuous meetings.

It's good to approach the exam period. Let's go through them together, and enjoy the holidays that are to come!...

It's good to dream now, what to do after the exam? Go on a far away trip? Go shopping? Home and office table spring cleaning? enjoy life? Eat-all-you-can?

Haha..i think I will be doing all these things during the holidays.

May the Lord grant us strength to pull through this last 1 km for the maranthon journey.

Back to School on an off-in-lieu

Today is supposed to be a school holiday...

Who cares... went back to school....

Happy to get some work done... Had lunch with a few colleagues, and back for more marking and work...

T-I-R-E-D is spelt this way ...

How many times had we worked and spend our energy so much, that there is no way to realize how much our body can't take until we got time to rest?
Like this week...
I always thought fatique is accumulated. And this is so so true.
Not much rest on wed, thur, fri, sat...?
How do you know?
Cos if I am well rested, I would have time to sit down and rest...
I would have blogged...
Today, I wouldn't have paid the price for a hectic week...
While driving home, almost slept...
Came back home at 7pm, slept my evening nap till 11 pm...
Well, at least tonight, there will be some energy left to do some personal admin.

Anyway, just some updates last week. At least I am not complaining... last week was actually quite fun.

Wed: administer math exam for my students (the first of their papers). Settled one of their modules fast. The school was good and flexible to let us gave their exam early, and I found it good to offload their stress.

Students: "How come Question 11 so difficult? Can't do!"
Well, every exam has sure got killer questions one...the one question that unless you are a genius or really had a gush of inspiration, you would stumble. Don't ask me why... it always has been ever since i took my PSLE...haha. You might want to take it as an opportunity that it is time for teachers to show their superiority in terms of experience... haha...but I would prefer to say that most teachers are sadistic in nature.

Wed afternoon: Innovation Programme Finals. 104 presentation did their class proud... I did find the efforts made by the presenters on their product is good. Of course there are a number of other innovative inventions, such as the school badge one. Well done, year 1s.
Wed evening, after long meetings (a ceremony that all teachers go through almost every week), went to church to see pastor for admin preparation. After that, returned home at did personal admin till 1 am.

Thursday: lessons after lessons... afternoon..did much admin...followed by going to PSL board. Well done PSLs. 6.30 pm, had appt with colleague to go to some restaurant for nice exotic meal. Really thank God for this colleague. So blessed in the midst of our busy schedule for a nice treat. As what another colleague mentioned, "To be treated by this colleague are...it's reallya GREAT honour" one! At home, worked out cell structure and sharing till 2 am.

Friday: Grouchy in the morning...so instead of work, went out in the sun to see the year 1s play during mentoring. Aiyoh... quite fun... glad the year 1 coordinator and the mentors thought of games at times to play... haha... however a number of 'cheats' though... blindfolded yet knew who was nearby... Afternoon, as usual, played chess with students. Played 6 games in a row with a particular student... lost 2, drawn 2, won 2. tired mentally. Then played badminton with colleagues and students... tired physically.... then go prayer meeting, followed by cell in the evening, in the end reached home around 12 midnight.

Sat: Caught some rest in the morning. Sat, quite fun. Afternoon, went yuxian's place for cell group... see her cute baby 白白胖胖 photos. Followed by dinner near her place... yum yum..sambal sotong is simply shiok! Night time...prepared for big day... about the programmes and stuff... so couldn't go for a student's birthday party．　

Ｉｆ　ｓｈｅ　ｈａｐｐｅｎｓ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｂｌｏｇ：

HAPPY　ＢＩＲＴＨＤＡＹ　ＴＯ　ＹＯＵ！

Sunday: Go to a chinese church for service. Sermon was by this chinese pastor. Part of the sermon was about describing about our consumerism age, and that as Christians, we shouldn't indulge in them. The way he described is cool...

Advertisements are about, "Buy me. Buy me... Buy 2 and get 1 free!"
What is Trend? "a few years ago, a group of 4 handsome dudes flood the scene. Their name: F4. Followed that, add another member, called 5566. A year later, anoterh group replaced them: their name: Energy. Now even Enery started to lose their energy already."
We live in 'close' yet far away place: "HDBs are built more closely, but we always feel awkward when we take the lift. Our eyes are always either to the top or to the bottom."

After servie, when dinner with family..followed by sleep....

To my year 1 students...

To my year 1 students who happen to come to this blog now...

Hello and Pls go and study! :)
All the best for tomorrow!

Congrats to Danny and Linda

Congrats to Danny and Linda...tied the knot finally....

Being Emo? ... Guess not ...

Today came quite moody... in fact started to be moody for the past couple of days...

Being emo suddenly? I guess not... emo is being moody for no particular reason. Upon reflection, these are some problems faced...

1) A couple of students started to give trouble in homework submission.
2) Problems between students and students.
3) Problems faced by colleagues.
4) Floodgate of things to mark are opened.
5) Personal Admin
6) Some students started to be less attentive in class.
7) My weight start to increase

Thank God for His providence. Also for some thanksgiving...

1) Many personal admin are settled. Thanks so much for family and friends to support.
2) PSL leaders are really good in running and organizing stuff... they are very independent, thus off-loading my workload.
3) I am healthy (Based on 2 health checks done recently)
4) Finished Project Grading for the Year 2 logic class and Journal marking for my Year 1 Logic class. One big pile of work finished.

Now I would be going after show every wednesday evening at 11 pm... those very old SBC drama that used to watch some 20 yrs ago. Haha..the series is called the "Airforce"... I still like the uplifting theme song.



Today was very tired. Gave some students make up test, as well as having consecutive lessons. So after school, rested, before playing chess ... good game! haha... hadn't played so well in years.. one solid hour for just one game ... (for those who knew me, I prefer quick chess, 10 min one game kind). After my brain was dead in the end, went over and played with Uncle Lawrence badminton (Very good motivator. Knew I wanted to cut down weight, so encouraged me to play badminton)... Played a while, before a group of students borrowed the rackets to play... ( funny students... one said, "Mr Lee, is this your racket?" I replied, "Yes." Then she replied, "It's mine now."... Nevertheless, it was quite entertaining looking at my students play badminton (4 students playing in one side of the badminton court is hilarious.) anyway, went back staff room and did some admin.

At 7pm, went to pastor's home for cell and prayer group. Pastor's wife whipped up fabulous dinner ... century egg porridge, curry chicken, bread, curry puff, egg tau foo, red bean paste, fried mee hoon, agar agar.... irony of ironies... there goes my weight-loss regime...

May God grant me strength and joy in the things that I do. Amen.

Boarding programme...so fun!

Five schools to pilot boarding programmes from 2008
By Julia Ng, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 02 October 2007 1941 hrs

SINGAPORE: Starting next year, Singapore students craving for a taste of boarding school life, like those offered in Britain and the United States, will get to experience it here. Five schools – all on the Integrated Programme – will pilot various models. Announcing this at the Education Ministry's Workplan Seminar, Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the boarding programme is aimed at strengthening character, forging bonds among students, and instilling in them a sense of duty and service. Since January this year, the National University of Singapore High School (NUS High) requires all Year 5 (first year pre-university) students to live on campus, to get them more engaged in research work. Students said they missed their families initially, but are glad they end up spending more time with their parents during the weekends than when they had lived at home. One of the students, Poh Ee Leng, 17, said: "It really is a very good experience because you get to be more independent - like doing your own laundry and cleaning up the room and all that - and you get to mix around with people from other countries like Indonesia. We get to know a lot more about their culture by living together." Hostel fees are S$500 a month and NUS High will enhance it into a full boarding programme next year with an emphasis on character and leadership development. Dr Hang Kim Hoo, Principal of NUS High, said: "We hope to see some of our students organising cultural activities to interact with international students in our school. Other activities which I know the students will be interested in, as a follow-up to this leadership programme, will be community involvement activities, where they will actually move out of the school and see beyond what they currently know." Minister Tharman said: "The success of our education system, the success of our top schools is not measured by whether we produce straight-A students, but whether we produce individuals with a sense of duty, and a desire to serve society. "Some top schools in the US and UK have found boarding a useful platform for providing their students with a rounded and rigorous education. And there is more time and space for intellectual exploration beyond the examinable curriculum." Schools will have a free hand in charting their boarding programmes. NUS High and National Junior College will offer boarding according to cohorts, while Raffles Institution prefers programmes focused on leadership development to provide more opportunities for team-building activities and for its students to serve the community. Hwa Chong Institution and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) have also lined up a boarding experience for students across different levels. Mrs Chin Bee Kuan, Deputy Principal of Student Care at Hwa Chong Institute, said: "We don't want it to become just a hostel experience. When the students stay at the boarding school, it provides us more time and space to work with them. Our programme is vertical, so the seniors will be there to mentor the juniors." Over time, the five schools will review and refine their boarding programmes, based on their experience in the initial years. The schools will also provide subsidies for the cost of boarding to ensure that no student is denied of a chance to take part in the boarding programme due to financial difficulties. - CNA/so

Sources from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews
/view/303450/1/.html

Happy Children's Day

To all young-at-heart
Happy Children's Day!

To all my friends and students from China
国庆节快乐!