Been really irritated recently

And I have no idea why. Oh wait… I know.

Reason 1 –It’s because my maid has gone back to the Philippines for a holiday and we’re really screwed! It’s tough taking care of Toby and going to school or going out or for trainings at the same time. I hate doing household chores… there’s a reason why household chores are called CHORES.

Reason 2 –My throat is killing me… the coughing is horrid and I can’t speak without my voice cracking… it irritates the hell out of me. Oh. And I’ve been getting these really annoying headaches every now and then.

Reason 3 –The weather these days… oh my fucking god! It’s horrible! How can the weather be so fucking BAD in recent days?!! I can feel the heat even indoors with the fan blowing right in my face!

Putting down all the reasons…. Its no wonder I’ve been feeling irritated recently. =_=

History dinner and misc stuff…

Wednesday marked the “official” end of my NIE life. Of course there’s still the “enrichment” programmes and talks in the weeks to come. Oh well, I can deal with that. We had our History Dinner after class on Wednesday at Amirah’s Grill. The food was great and the company was fantastic. So happy to be part of this class of weird and whacky people! Will surely miss them when we are all separated to schools all over the island. I sure hope we can meet up once in a while. But the dinner was a great end to an interesting year. =P


Here’s almost everyone in the class… pity we couldn’t get everyone. T_T
p.s: Thanx to David for the photo.

I went back for training again yesterday. It was still a struggle… I had to really convince myself to get out of the house for training. Now I’m taking it one training at a time. Soon… I’ll get back in the groove of going for training!

On a kendo high!

Went back to training after a long break. Perhaps the word “long” would be an understatement. Oh well. At least I’m back! And it’s a damn good feeling. *Grinz*

There’s something else I wanted to talk about… but I just can’t remember it now…. Too much endorphins in my system… clouding my brain… haha

Oh ya! Just remembered! I went down to my new workplace this morning. Hmmm… the HODs and the V-Ps seemed real nice and my workload should be fine. I’ll be taking two classes of secondary three (express) and two classes of secondary two (normal academic) for history. As for literature, they’ve given me two classes of secondary twos (express). The workload’s pretty light but the responsibility is kinda heavy! I’ll be following my secondary threes up next year so it’ll be kinda scary.

Oh well! Here’s hoping everything will work out just fine! =P

Mdm Wong is married!~! Omedetou!!

*throws confetti*

And so, together with some of the kendo peeps, we went to attend his wedding dinner at the Pan Pacific. It was a pretty decent affair. Classy, yet not overly extravagant. There were bout 3 tables full of kendo peeps. The sensei table, the national team table and us… haha… the old-timers of NUSKK. The bride was sooooo pretty! ZX is such a lucky guy. =)

I took some pictures… but not a lot coz my camera battery died on me. T_T


The lucky groom with his pretty bride… but the lighting wasn’t too great… *sigh*


Monkey and Saizou


The two oldest characters in NUSKK… and I’m serious… notice da jie covering his forehead? Haha… he doesn’t want his hair to be seen.


Uncle WK acting silly… hehe…


I think this is one of the nicest “big heads” pictures I took that night. Haha…

Arghhhh….

Well, school postings are out. My posting's certainly not my first choice. I’d much rather go back to DS. Even if I had to teach E-Lang! T_T

But a lot got to do with attitude. As J said… I got to put on my “game” face and try to view it in a positive light. Who knows? I might just like it there… =_=

But do let me finish my moping for the rest of this week… T_T

Wheeee!!

It’s over!!! Now I’m not sure if I’ll end up back in DS but I wouldn’t mind either way. There’s the good and the bad in both possible situations. But the kids were so sweet. I’m not a sentimental person but I have to admit that I was rather touched by some of the kids.

The stuffed pig was grand… hmmm I wonder how they know I love pigs. =P The little bottles filled with paper stars and (undeterminable) beans were thoughtful and sweet. The rehearsed message that one class read out to me at the end of my class was unexpected and totally adorable. But what touched me the most were the cards that they decorated and the messages they wrote inside the cards. This kid even walked me back to the staffroom, helping me carry my laptop after my last lesson with his class. He just said three simple words at the end, “Take care, cher” – but it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It’s really the sincerity behind the words that matters.

I’m really going to miss my students… even though I might not be the best teacher around, in fact, I KNOW I’m not that good a teacher but I had fun teaching them and I sure hoped they had fun during some if not all of my lessons. =P Here’s wishing them all the best for their mid-years!

Oh ya… I just got home! But no… I did not party the night away… I merely bummed the night away at J’s place after attending part of the SDA rally last night with Kitty. I’m sure Mr. C will do a great job at PP if he’s elected again but the SDA rally was not particularly exciting. Totally unlike the WP rally I went to previously. So after staying for a little while, kitty and I made our way to J’s place for some pizza, documentary and drama. Haha… but the documentary we watched was super cool. It’s called “One Day In September” and I want to own it! Yosh! Time to visit HMV!

Heh. It’s after 8… time for me to go vote! My vote is secret and sacred! But I’m going to wear my new blue wristband (which kitty bought) when I go down to vote!

进步？

我想，这十个礼拜的经历让我学会了好多东西。我学会了包容，迁就和看开。

包容，是要包容学生所有的习性。好的与坏的之间往往只有一线之差。往往只是观念的问题。当然我们也不能纵容他们的恶习，不然后果不堪设想。

迁就，是因为发现要在这现实社会待下去，人与人之间的关系是非常重要的。要学会如何去迁就别人和如何与别人相处。当然也不能样样都迁就别人，因为这样会被人家看不起的，是懦弱的表现。

看开，这其中当然也包括了怎么“放手”。发现了这世上有好多事是不能强求的。做人也不可以太过执着。不然，最不开心的还是自己。

我想，虽然不多，我的确有了那么一点点的进步。

Hehe... 4 more days!!

Heh. Here's a pic of us (H, SL and Me!) acting cute in the staffroom to celebrate the fact that there's only 4 more working days left in our Practicum! I'll surely miss my fellow trainee! They are a fun bunch to hang out with. T_T

And the kids of course.... they've grown more adorable throughout the course of these 10 weeks. Besides the joy and excitment of beginning a new chapter in life, there's also sadness at the thought that I'll not get to see these kids again. Oh well, 天下无不散之宴席... who knows, I might just end up back at DS in a few years time. =)

It’s nearing the end of the road…

And I actually felt a little sad. Contrast it to the previous posts that I made about wanting Practicum to end ASAP, it might be kinda weird to say that I’m sad that practicum’s going to end soon. It’s not that I don’t want to go back to NIE, it’ll be fun to see the NIE peeps again. But there’s so much that I’ll miss in DS. Well, not so much… but mainly my fellow trainees and the kids.

My SCM actually asked if I’m interested in teaching English, coz DS is in need of e-lang teachers and they’ll get me to stay if I agree to teach e-lang. It’s always a comfort to go back to familiar surroundings but I have no confidence in my grammar. I never really understood the intricacies of it. =_= Besides, I’ll never know how good DS really is until I have experience at other schools. And DS really is a great place. They have a fantastic school culture and the kids there are adorable. If any of the NIE peeps are posted there, they’re really lucky.

Though it’d be supreme irony if they make me teach e-lang over at my new posting. =_=

It’s all over!!!

It’s been a fucking long time! But now it’s all over! Cleared my final formal observation by my Hist CT! I really don’t know what he thought of that lesson coz it’s a very basic lesson with just teacher-talk and questioning. I hope he’ll find it all right. Heh.

But that’s not the most important thing. The important thing is that it’s all over!!! And the behaviour of the class touched me deeply. My very first observation was with this class too and it didn’t turn out too good. But this lesson gave me a good feeling. The little and some not so little munchkins were really sweet. That class is one of my most notorious classes. But they behaved themselves for my observation. =) The guys were really adorable today –cooperative, enthusiastic and responsive. I couldn’t ask for better students. =) That lesson just made my day!

Edit: I just got back the APT form from my CT! It’s not too bad I guess, especially when compared to my first ob. Huge improvement I’d say! Haha… my CTs are all nice folks. =)

One more to go!!

Decided to have a formal observation by my lit Ct on the spur of the moment. Must be ra’s fault. =P

Hahaha… anyways, I decided to get it over and done with despite not having prepared much. But it went well I guess. My CT was happy with the lesson and the way I interacted with the kids. I’m happy with my new approach too. Being more relax in the classroom really helps. I don’t get irritated and the kids are also happy. So in the end, everything went well and I’m kinda relieved. Just one more this Friday and it’ll all be over! Getting the APT form from her tomorrow... hopefully it'll be good! =)

The kids were just adorable today. I think I’m really going to miss them when practicum is done. T_T On the other hand… I can’t wait for it to end! =P

The long weekend is bliss incarnate!

Heh. Despite life getting easier, the weekend’s still something to look forward to. I can’t wait to get back to NIE! Argh… though there’s still the literature assignment left undone. But I’ll churn it out by Monday I guess. Nat, Ra, you guys wanna meet up in NIE on Monday for some makan?

Sigh… been back to training last wed and nearly died! My muscles are still aching. It felt good but the lack of regular practice really killed me. I think I’ll have to be more regular in future.

School was rather hectic this past week. I’ve been rather stern with the kids and I’m kinda upset about it. I really don’t like to scold them. And I really feel that it’s not that effective. But I really cannot find any other way to get it into their head that it’s really for their own good! I very much suspect my own teachers felt the same way I do now back when they were teaching my class. Hahaha… frustrated and helpless coz the kids just don’t wanna learn. But it’s affecting my mood. I’m gonna cool it and take a more relax attitude next week and see how it goes.

Some of the kids are really adorable though… hmmm… even though some of em are slightly crazed. They really are! A little crazed that is. Haha… especially this group of secondary two girls I taught for a little while before the switch in timetables caused me to give up their class. Adorable but wacky. Loved the wackiness though. They’re funny. =P

Gonna miss my fellow trainees too when I leave DS. T_T Not equally of course. Haha… there are some I like more than others. =P I’ll surely miss SL and H the most! There’s this kid in one of my classes. He’s pretty cute lah I’ll have to say. H is sooooo taken with him. Kept going on and on about how cute he is. I have to remind her that he’s not legal yet. Haha… I do agree that he’ll be a heartbreaker when he’s older. Now, I just wish he’ll read the text and do his homework even when I'm not there to nag him into doing it. =_= Coz I feel he's a smart kid and capable of so much more.

Life outside school…

Sometimes, it’s easy to be consumed by school life. Practicum takes up so much time and it’s so easy to be overwhelmed by it all. Thank goodness for my dearest friends outside the school context, like J and the kendo peeps, who’s always there to hear me whine and offer constructive comments.

Went out with the kendo peeps on Thursday night because Z came back from Japan… that lucky thing! =_= It was so good to meet up with the gang. All the conversations about training, about who’s back and who’s missing and who’s being irritating, really made me realize how much I miss trainings and hanging out with them. They are really a hilarious bunch of juniors/friends. There’s no doubt that the kendo community is a really close-knit one. It made me a little sad that I’ve excluded myself recently because of practicum. Yosh! I have to make time to go back for training… though I’ll most likely not survive the training… =_=

Friday was exciting… there’s no other word to describe the experience. The exhilaration of rushing out an assignment on the deadline itself coupled with the planning of lessons for the day made for a very exciting day indeed. But I’m glad I managed to churn it out. Now there’s only the literature assignment left. Hehe… I’m sure the Good Friday weekend is sufficient. But it was good to see my NIE mates. Good to chat about our experiences and gossip about “the thing”. Can't wait to see them in back in NIE!

Only a few more weeks to go… I’ll be glad to go back to NIE but I’ll surely miss the kids at DS. It started real slow but they’re starting to get really adorable. Hmmm... I wonder why... *ponders*

Ps: J dearest! Thank you thank you thank you!!! Words cannot express my gratitude… what would I do without you!~ But expectations really kills… the book wasn’t as good as I’d hope it would be. =_=

oh where has all my money gone too?

I should be saving lots of money since I have no time nowadays… but unfortunately, retail therapy works for me. So instead of saving, I spent even more than usual. Hahaha… but it makes me really happy. So I guess it’s all worth it! =)

Hectic week up ahead. Lesson preparation’s a bitch. =_=

There’s going to be another formal observation by my sup, and I’m going to request for 2 observations by my main CT so I can finish the assignment set by ms Sandra by 7th April. I think there’s going to be another observation by one of my other CT but at this point in time, the memory’s all fuzzy. Here’s hoping that all goes well!! Oh well, at the very least, the people factor is tolerable. I think that’s the most important factor in any workplace.

*ponders*

To all my nie mates out there “braving the wilderness”! Take heart! The end is near! Hahaha… =P

It’s the 5th week! Oh god… just 5 more weeks to go!

Well, the reason I haven’t been blogging is that I’ve been busy. Busy getting myself into trouble! =P And being forced to write reflections everyday does put a dampened on my blogging mood. =_=

But yeah… time just seems to fly. Tomorrow’s my first formal observation by my sup… whom I’ve never seen before in my life. Here’s hoping that everything will go well! =) Everything seems to be speeding up. I hope there’ll be nothing seriously wrong with my lessons. =_=

Oh ya! I tried to access the nie portal but realized that I’ve forgotten my password! Anyone out there who knows my password? Ahhh…. Or anyway of changing the password? Help! T_T

Oh where has the week gone to?

It’s the end of the holidays! Oh where has the week gone to? In less than 30 hours, I’ll be back in school again. *whine*

There’s still so many lesson plans left undone and stuff not prepared! Arghhhh… there’s still so many dvds I want to watch and books I want to read!! But we can’t always get what we want I suppose. =_=

Oh well, at least I did some research for history. The national library is my new best friend! Their reference section is fantastic! Perhaps it’ll be my new favourite haunt!

Wah… that does sound sad…. a library being my new favourite place. Hahaha…

The week hasn’t been totally wasted I guess. Met up with nat and ra a couple of times, met up with J a few times, went to watch Army Daze not once but twice, watched a couple of good and not so good movies, and I was able to roll around in bed till 11am while J is slogging away at work! Wahahahahahaha…..

Anyways, Army Daze was fantastic! It’s amazing how a play written almost 20 years ago could be so relevant in today’s context. Kumar was fabulous and Robin Goh was surprisingly good as Kenny. But my favourite was still the ah-beng character played by Sebastian Tan. Ahhhh… I wish we could have done the play in school! Not bloody likely I'd say... =_=

*sigh* It’ll be back to 5.30am mornings for me in less then 30 hours. T_T

Man... I must be sick... =_=

Some of my fellow trainees are marking common test scripts now. It feels weird but I really wish I had something to mark as well. Ahhhh…. Life is strange… when I have too much work, I complain. When I don’t have much to do, I want something to do. =_=

Someone… please slap some sense into me!

Things are looking up…. I hope!

Finally met up with some of the NIE peeps (ra, shizhi, pearl, chin chye and auntie) on Wednesday. Fabulous! We should meet up more often guys! Next time with nat, yueheng and uncle! The Turkish food was great and the company was fantastic. All in all, a great day! We have to meet up again soon!

Thursday took a turn for the worse… I started teaching for real on Thursday. Murphy’s Law was the rule of the day. Whatever could go wrong went wrong. It was for most part my fault I guess. I did not go for a trial run using my baby ibook even though I know I’m not too familiar with its functions. In the end, I conducted a chaotic and confusing first lesson. I couldn’t even cover half of what I had originally planned! The subsequent lessons were equally bad though not as chaotic as the first one. I feel as though the students were looking at me with a “Man! You’re incompetent” look in their eyes! T_T Felt so depressed over the lack of quality in my lessons. That was totally not what I had envisioned my first lesson to be! But I’ll have to thank one of my CT (who is also a Shahrukh Khan fan), who helped me solve this very horrid IT problem!

Actually, one thing I can be grateful about is that all my CTs are freaking nice! All three of them!! I really think it all depends on luck. Whenever I hear about ra’s CT’s newest “exploits” I feel thankful. Hang in there ra! Don’t let him get you down!

Took a cab down for training after school… cab ride cost me 18 freaking bucks! I really should buy the shares of the cab company. Transport is taking up almost half my pay!! Oh well, it was worth it coz I got to see Kato Sensei! It was great seeing him so healthy and vibrant. He’s honestly the most healthy 70plus years old man I know. Did not get a chance to spar with him. Hopefully I’ll be able to on Sunday’s training. Yosh! I’m feeling enthusiastic about training yet again… it’s really 'mind over body'.

Friday was a good day. My lessons went ok… or at least that’s what I would like to think so. Covered what I intended to cover and perhaps with the use of IT, I got to show off my keynote presentations. Haha…but the actual fact was that anything would be considered an improvement from Thursday. =_=

Stayed in school till 6!! But it was real fun! Back in the workroom, as the hour got later, I could blast my mp3s and chat and laugh with my fellow trainees. But as we were happily bopping to a Eminem song, my SCM walked into the work area… =_= I had to roll myself over (was on a chair with wheels) discreetly and turned down the volume…

Highlight of the day -Met up with J for makan at ikea. Coz of the crowd at the restaurant, we just sat at one of the displays and talked for ages. The meatballs at ikea were fantastic! Yum!

J, let’s go eat Turkish food soon! They have really salty stuff! Hehe…

Good friends really make my day. =)

Meh…

Haha… the word “meh” just reminds me of Jaime. But it so reflects my mood at present. I miss ya Jamie Townsend! Please get your tattooed ass back in Singapore when you go for your honeymoon!

Ahhhh… it’s gonna be Friday tomorrow! Woohoo!! I want to go out and paint the town red!!! Nay… just kidding. =_=

Practicum is fine I guess… haven’t got a chance to interact with the kids yet. Will most probably start late next week. The amount of preparation work required is incredible! That’s what one can expect when one has to teach secondary 1, 2 and 3 History! Not to forget secondary 1 Literature. Everyday is filled to the brim with lesson planning and PowerPoint presentation. Life is hard…

On the good side, I’ve got nice CTs and extremely nice fellow trainees with me. That’s something to be thankful about I guess. Life could be much worse…

Oh ya… life would be better if I had more money. T_T

Looking forward to meeting up with my NIE pals... esp my kg mates! do reply to my e-mail k! =)

My feet hurts… T_T

Wore my new heels to NIE yesterday… was trying to test them out and see if I could last the day wearing them. And of course, I wanted to alter my new pants and the heels were sort of a guideline. And so, when we left ra to her gesl presentation and went to jalan jalan at JP, I was suffering. Every step was a torture. But nat was nice enough to buy me a drink at LJS to ease my suffering. Haha… then we shared some mp3s using my baby ibook which has this cool program that can extract songs from ipods. Hehehe… hindi songs are nice!

Then despite my suffering, I decided to meet up with J for makan. It was only during dinner that J told me they actually provide shoes at the alteration shop for customers who wanted to alter their garments accordingly. That means… I suffered the whole day for practically nothing!!! But the trip was fruitful! My copy of SHANTARAM arrived!! My thanks to the good people over at sunny! *grin* I also got my pants altered in time for school on Monday and dinner was fun coz the company was good! We practically spent the whole time gashing over Lee Jun-Ki, the drama series “My Girl”, and Lee Jun-Ki!!!


Oh! He’s just adorable!!!

And well, Practicum is looming over the horizon…

Ah… just handed up one of the last history assignment before practicum. I must say that it is a relief to be free of assignments for a while and I’m quite looking forward to going to school proper. It’s going to be a whole new experience. Good or bad is still unforeseeable I think. Hahaha…

And ya! Dot! Let’s go register at ubi soon! I want to continue my lessons… I want to get a license. *whine*