Heeee!!

Haha! I am so gullible, easily coaxed.
Am happy now as an interesting camping trip looks possible in the near future.
And its overseas, ok lah not that far lah, Bintan. But still! Rugged in activities but resort-like enough for older ones like me. There is cheap beer too! Heeeh... oh but students will be around. :P

Laaalaaalaalaaalaaalaaalaaaaaa....

TEACHER

In my boredom I discovered these words from the word TEACHER. Some are nonsensical, then some are... In random order that of when the word shows itself:

TEACH
EACH
HEART
ACHE
TEAR
HATE
HER
REACH
RATE
EAR
TEA
TEE
CHEER
HERE
THERE
ERE
ETCH
RETCH
EATER
ACT
ART
CART
CAT
RAT
TAR
CRATE
CREATE
CHEAT
CHEATER
HEAT
ARCH
CHAT
HAT

Wah... so just off the hat, though there can be so many other cynical or heartwarming spinoffs, whichever way you use it,
You can see a cheater in a teacher;
Or a teacher in a cheater. Heeh perceptions... and the power of words...

Sunscreen

A Song to fall back on.

Various Artists - Everyone'S Free (To Wear Sunscreen) Lyrics
Artist(Band): Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99.
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientistswhereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than myown meandering experience...
I will dispense this advice now
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;oh, nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real toubles in life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing
Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you recieve.
Forget the insults.
If you suceed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
Do not feel guilty if you don't know what you wanna do with your life,...the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most ineresting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40.
Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary....

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it...it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines they will only make you feel UGLY.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they might be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings;
They're your best link to your past, and the people most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but, leave before it makes you soft.

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths.
Prices will rise, Politicians will philander, you too will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young,prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders

Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you'll have a trust fund,maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse;but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.

Something is wrong.
You know that something has to be done.
You go ahead doing it.
At the back of your mind you question if you are doing the right thing.
No one has the answer, yet.
But everyone agrees that something has to be done.
No cheat codes, no game walkthroughs.
Just have to follow instincts and do.
Help is around, fortunately.
Though no one is God, no 100% foolproof plans.
I guess this is what it is to it.

Lalalaaaalaaa

Just do it.

O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o O.o

Neither here nor there.

I realised that usually during weekends I would be buzzing about so much that I would automatically knock out at night and sleep pretty well.

So during this weekend of recuperation, I have too much energy to lie around that I cannot sleep well, but yet not well enough to engage in any proper physical activity. At the end, I really feel so restless, being neither here or there. Such feelings suck though it is also only in such weekends that one appreciates one's health better.

Heh, anyway I thought I would be pretty voiceless today in class, but it was ok... managed to get messages across and even lecture a class. :] Not bad not bad.

Why???

My diving friends are making me oh so jealous...
They saw dolphins!!! Urgh!!! Curse the stupid virus that made me sick... Curse it!!! (Shucks, there isn't much purpose in cursing those viruses, they are most probably dead by now...)

Urgh!!!

Ok...Ok...

Must. Go. Diving. Sometime. Soon...

Sigh, but right now even walking to the neighbouring mall makes me that little bit breathless... Scary things food poisoning and flu can do to you... So... must recuperate well and... go dive soon... season ending too!

KungFu? GongFu? Wushu? Bushido?

I was rather excited about the series of documentaries coming up in October on National Geographic Channel on Martial Arts. But after some of its trailers and previews, I think it would be quite a let down. Some things never change, and I have a sneaky feeling the documentaries or some of it would be recycled ones that I have seen on the channels before.

The emphasis was on the destructiveness and the perceived mysticsm of martial arts, from a Western point of view for the Western appetite and preferences. It's all about the showmanship and the breaking of stuff and things... you know, the big hollywood kind of stunts and WOW factor, and the ongoing debate on what qi, or ki is or if they are the same etc etc etc...

In the trailer there are these big sized western martial artists with dunno how many dan belts schooled in styles of karate and tkd and what-nots, breaking brick walls and tiles and astounding scientists, warning viewers not to try it at home... while asking his buddy to check if his hair is still in place and high-fiving in celebration. O.o

Dots... I guess this is where cultural differences come in. American pop culture in particular like things big and spectacular, never mind if they cannot tell Chinese Kungfu apart from Japanese Bushido, the main point is they are all oh so dangerous and oriental in origin. And these Americans are the experts in showing and presenting these powerful, dangerous arts to the rest of the world, together with the mispronounced names and oddly coloured Gis. (Blue and Orange Gis??? Even for Chinese kungfu?? Oh man!!!)

And for some reasons most of the American TV martial artists look fat! Ok, fat is still fine, but fat and clumsy??? Unlike Samuel Hong, or Hong Jing Bao who is also rather fat, none of them are as flexible or graceful as he is, and they are the experts?!?!!

Ok... I am probably being too harsh and that the real McCoys are most likely to be good in their art instead of showbiz, and therefore well hidden away in their own dojos, training grounds but respected in their fields nonetheless.

It is just that maybe it is time for old western stereotypes on martial arts to be corrected, and the emphasis to be shifted back to plain old grit, discipline, determination instead of the killing, maiming and destroying of things. Or maybe it is time for more of the humble real Mc Coys to come out and educate the public on their take of the real thing. Yes, it is not as flashy, not as glamourous, but that is what it is. Stop dreaming kid and start jogging! And it is not for killing and breaking bones! Martial artists are not above the law you dimwit!!







Heh... so ironic, as in the process, I lose my centre and cool.......... O.o

Where are you now?

Wonder if this fellow is still alive or not.
A group of us found it on the steps of the Singapore River battling the mini waves and trying to rest in Feb. Brought it over to Kallang river where we reckoned that it would have a better chance of survival. A collision with the kayaks sound like a better deal than having a collision with the bumboats, not that we wished it to happen. Also, the air is fresher here.

But nonetheless, it is still a less than ideal situation. This fellow should not be here, and probably doesn't want to be here. But it is here, not by any choice of its own. It was either a sense of misguided sense of compassion in the freeing of animals into perceived natural areas, or a blatant case of abandonment that it ended up in the Singapore River. Bewildered and lost. I wonder if we did the right thing in its relocation, as we didn't have the energy or will to take it back home to care for it, nor can we think of a better place to release it. (Other than south America where these terrapins originally come from.) Then again, it is definitely not good for a giant terrapin to be cooped up in a small basin in some HDB apartments.

The memory to this little incident half a year back was awakened by a pair of evangelising aunties who visited my home in an attempt to engage my heart soul and spirits with Christianity this morning. They were asking how and where I think the current world situation was like and where it would lead to. Obviously in her opinion it's doomsday, and that everyone, including me should repent etc. I am a non-believer who is more inclined to the philosophy of Buddhism where things happen and occur for a reason. And I use the word philosophy rather than religion as it is what it should be.

I didn't want to be rude but at the same time I didn't want to share my thoughts with her for anyone could forsee that it will be long-drawn and a waste of time. I just looked at her, grin and fought the demonic urges to just slam the door flat on her face.

I made a tactical mistake of asking for some reading materials in the hope that she would just go away and let me 'digest' the stuff. She didn't have some and so she promised to go away and get some for me in future... Shucks...

To me the problems the world now is facing, be it the misplaced giant terrapin found in the river, to pollution and social issues, are mostly man-made. There is a chinese saying, 解铃还需系铃人。 We can solve it only if we can set aside differences and other selfish motives in the pretence of economy and national security and work together as a race. That is the main problem now, because as an individual, it is really almost impossible to bring about such change with the urgency that is required, the leaders are the ones who can galvanise and put in the resources into it if they want to. Of course many people will disagree with me on that and believes that doomsday is inevitable and the only way to survive and thrive after that is to believe in Christianity. I respect that, for I can neither prove or disprove the theory. There must be some truths or some ways that Christianity have touched the lives of millions that made them believers to the faith. It is just that it doesn't work for me and am prepared to stand by my stubborness for the consequences if there are any. I only hope that if that is a way to a better future and that doomsday is really inevitable, that terrapin will be happy, and hopefully has a place in that paradise after.

Looks like the food poisoning was the long awaiting flu bug that was suppressed for some time for some reason...
It has now morphed into a cough and inflamed throat.

Really lovely timing... >__<
Oh well, rest. Forced rest.
Weekend's here. O_o

Back to school.

Back to school tomorrow... wonder if I would still remember how to teach. :D

Hahaa... but the 'break' has been insightful; view from the other, more official side of stuff is invaluable. But sitting down for 8 hours and having to focus has been too much for my body, add in some wrong food at the right time... Kaboom. The tummy goes churn churn churn a-churning all the way to the toilet.

I haven't been this ill for a long long time. So odd, 8 hours of aircon and sitting still does things to my system that storms out at sea can't. Amazing. Sad it is I can't go Tioman this weekend due to the flu bug, though my parents are so relieved. Urgh... there is this fear of water and underwater that most people have... I fear aircon offices more. It is the silent chronic killer.

And obviously, red tape is still the very much in the way things are done. The people I met there are the smiling, goody-two-shoes type that toe the line and do as being told and are very efficient. It's very surreal as I was one of them for the past 2 weeks. Of course I was the blur newbie as usual, though I really wouldn't want to be like them, 10-20years down the road. Just wanted to get things over and done with. Oh well, back to school and all the mad rush, mindless rush that I 'miss'.

WHY MUST I FALL SICK NOW?
WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY???

:.C

Wait and see

Urgh, an entry on Thailand and Taiwan political happenings has gone in cyber wind as the computer disconnected itself... and I cannot remember what I typed exactly.

Anyway a summary...

While US condemns Thailand's coup in ousting Prime Minister Taksin as it hurts democracy, the Thais actually welcome it and see it as an end to the standstill and continuous unrest in Thailand. A step backwards to bring about 2 steps forward is the idea shown in the newspapers. Leader of the coup General Sonthi promised that power will be returned to the people as soon as possible and that he supports democracy and the Thai monarchy.

To me, I like things to be decisive and clean in terms of policies, and democracy can be a little draggy, and in attempt to please everyone, pleases none. Thailand's coup will hasten the pace for changes and reforms. Of course there will always be the fear of misuse of power and the taking away of freedom of the people. But in this case it seems so far so good, or at least it seems to be making more headway and progress than the green and red protests in Taiwan, where freedom of speech is endorsed, where complaints can be made loud but falls on deaf ears. There are also signs of social conflicts and unrests resulting from the protests from both the anti and pro President Chen camps, which just adds more problems to the main issue.

I guess we outsiders could only adopt a wait and see attitude as nothing much can be done by us too. Democracy is a lovely and much coverted idea where people seems to have a say on how their country can be run. But throughout history there are also cases of the wise and benign rulers whose words were the law and yet brought peace and prosperity to the lands they ruled. Graft and corruption are also rampant in some democratic systems.

So it is actually the execution of the running of the country rather than the terms and ideologies that actually matters.

To a pragmatic me, having a stable and safe life and an avenue of expression and seeing things change for the better is more important than the labels attached; and such needs can also be offered by non-democratic models to some extent. Checks can come from within, if power doesn't corrupt and make one proud, it can happen.

Bad Day

Gotten some feedback on my marking accuracy. This is still ok; I am learning.

Should have heeded the signs of my body as I had to make more trips to the toilet.

Now it seems that I have swallowed a tornado, the churns are spinning me about.

Colleague had to now to bug me about school work and things to be done online.

To fall sick now would mean no weekend trip for me. :[

Taiwan's 倒扁挺扁 Demonstrations

Christmas has arrived early in Taiwan when you talk about colour combinations, but the mood isn't as festive. Over the past week Taiwanese made their intentions clear of wanting their president to step down for alleged corruption by having mass demonstration. The colour they chose was red. So, there was a sea of red, out on the streets. In the climax in Sept 15, the view from the TV news was awe inspiring, the masses formed this pulsating river on the roads, chanting and cheering, or booing. For about a week the demonstration had been peaceful and spontaneous, loosely structured and planned. Response was overwhelming.

Supporters of the President staged their own demonstrations too, and the colour associated to the President and his party is green; and their gathering point was less than 800m away from the reds. In the name of freedom of speech, they gathered while the police watched, prepared.

Minor scuffles happened here and there with the greens joining in but in general it has been remarkably peaceful. Now the interesting thing would be the reaction of President Chen. Will he step down? Will he ignore?

So far it seems that his butt is firmly stuck to the Presidential chair despite increasing shows of unpopularity and people's desire for him to step down. It is a catch 22, an awkward situation for him, but the odds are stacking surely against him as time ticks.

Questions abound.

What will the people do if he refuses to relinquish his role as president?

Are such demonstrations effective in getting changes as compared to the usual violence commonly associated with revolution and changes in the political scene?

What next?

Would Taiwan's law and order disintegrate and crumble?

Even the organisers of the 倒扁 demonstrations were not united in their decisions for the next step. A more organised strike to pressure the President? Or let the people decide and take matters into their hands to organise their own strikes and all? And if finally, President Chen would have stepped down, what next, who next?

Will the new system be better? Or will such demonstrations be made illegal in the future?

This demonstrations opened a large can of worms, and it would be a test to how effectively democratic Taiwan is. Then to the rest of the world, it would be a history in the making, a lesson to be learnt by the policymakers on democracy and whether it is desirable and really effective in running a state.

It costs money and manpower to organise such demonstrations; the government can choose to ignore the voice. The voice can then choose to show through actions/violence that they want change and get the change no matter what...

Democracy can only work on a gentlemen's agreement that a set of rules that try to make all voices heard are followed with responsibility and integrity. Now the ball is in the President's court, wonder if he would accede to the wishes of the people, or try to garner some more of his own supporters and stick to it? Now we could only sit back and observe how it would be like...

International Coastal Cleanup 2006

Believe it or not, it is my first time doing beach clean up on International Coastal Cleanup. :D

3 of my sailors were in need of CIP hours and activities and was with WWS to help up, and I went too... it was fun, and the sailors made me proud, being less fragile and more gung-ho than the less sun and sea accustomed NTU students. Ok, just a few of them were out of place, standing around, the others were also hard at work. Though my sailors were really excited and buzzing about... as my friend commented, like teacher, like students... hyper. Heh... well... Erm... see the pics below!!

At the WWS headquarters, the kiddos trying out the lifevests.

Huh??? You mean there are such places in Singapore left?? (Yes, and trash is everywhere, in this beach area somewhere near Fort Rd... Photos do lie...)

Recording, and getting down to work.


The 'treasures' collected.




"And I knight thee, Guardian of the Dumps" "Oi! Bow leh!!"

On the way back, on tow, in glee... while the lady smiled and took the VIP seat...

It had been fun and frustrating as endless styrofoams and plastics greeted us. We finished the picking and collating and cleaning up at 2pm. That meant no sailing for me... was too tired and down with a headache. Oh well, heard that there wasn't much wind anyway, and a huge storm brewed in the late afternoon. Heeh... so didn't miss much. :]

It's in your face!

Interesting website that analyses/ collects data from your facial characteristics and some questions that you answer to decipher your personality.

Try it out! (you need a mugshot of yourself. :P)

http://similarminds.com/face/start.php

So, according to the proportion of my face,

I am ...

messy, tough, disorganized, fearless, not rule conscious, likes the unknown, rarely worries, rash, attracted to the counter culture, rarely irritated, positive, resilient, abstract, not a perfectionist, risk taker, strange, weird, self reliant, leisurely, dangerous, anti-authority, trusting, optimistic, positive, thrill seeker, likes bizarre things, sarcastic...

Hmmm... don't really like some of the traits mentioned. (Strange and weird together, side by side??!?)

DANGEROUS??!???!!!?

I definitely am not fearless and anti-authority??? (or not totally...) :D

Haaahaaahaaa... so, is that me?? :.C

If you try out the link, let me know you ok? :P

My 'National Service'

'Call of duty'; doing my 'national service', having my butt stuck to the chair for 2 weeks from 8am to 5pm...

Realised that paper work is draining and dehydrating as well.

Remember why I didn't consider office work as my career prospect.

Could emphathise with my friends doing office work on how 'good' their overall physical standards are.

I think I will lose my abilities to speak in 2 weeks time when I return to the class, and that's adding fuel to fire...



ARGH!!!!




Need. To. Move. About.




ARGH!!!!




Calm down calm down. Dive trip coming up! Hang. In. There...


O.o

What's the rush?

At times I think we have become slaves to change. There is an obsession with the need to change so called for the better, but it is so often rushed that its premature and the new product end up to be much less efficient than the old system that replaced. The latest example below:

The MOE email system has just been ungraded at this lovingly inconvenient times where exam papers have to be set and electronic correspondences vital. Yes, now everyone has 110mb worth of space, but the tons of other stuff are not working well... the time allowed in the system is less than 15mins, I cannot send out simple messages yet, with error messages saying that my email is too long. ( It is only 3 lines long, hello!!!!) And best of all, the system cannot cope with the traffic and emails have been sent advising us to try not to use the email system in the morning hours...

Ok... I know... teething problems... my main bone of contention is that it all seems so rushed. Why isn't time given for the IT people to run more tests and even out the problems first?
Budget constraints? Or we are simply not that important enough for VIP service to make things smooth flowing?

Anyway it is good in a way, the screw up forces us to slow down a little and take a breather. Haahaa...

Natural Prozacs

The title says it all...

A late night watching a no brainer Japanese variety show with friends; where 3 comedians were not allowed to laugh in a period of 24hours, where they were made to laugh with dire consequences. We watched their agony and antics and laugh...

A full day out in the sun, teaching someone how to ride a bike by the river, then off to sailing and getting an ex-sailor friend to join me in the last minute. The wind picked up... Hehee... trained with people half my age and I screw up, but not without picking up some much needed tips. Hope the coach will let me tag along again next time.

I was dead to the world by 9.30pm.

A half day out in the sun and rain, riding down the river that was extraordinarily clean due to the coming IMF conference...

Was feeling low before this weekend... friends, mindless varitey show and lots of sun seem to do wonders!

Possible?

I once seen it somewhere, an opinion it was, that tertiary education should be a means to economic prosperity. Education is a stepping stone to earning capabilites; so abstract results and figures remain all so important. No matter what tag lines the schools and ministry are coming up with, the bottomline is still a pragmatic one. Results must be produced, no matter its guises as exams or projects or presentations or what nots, it must justify the need for education.

I guess that is the main reason why I am feeling zombie-fied. As a student I was one of the dreamers who studied because I wanted to, or that I liked that particular subject innately. It wasn't for getting into the best class or having goals like being a doctor in the future. Of course that meant that I would die for some subjects and had a devil-may-care attitude towards others...

I realised that I like teaching; but only if it is done without ulterior motives. Not for the results, not for the As, not for that paper, but for the love of knowledge and the want to know, and analyse and discuss and then do something about it. Yup. I know, sounds like a good dream, an ideal situation educators can only dream of. But got to face it, for most people education is a means to an end. Be it out of the poverty cycle or have better job prospects... Sigh...

Got to ponder more on it. Heee

First Aid Course

Just completed a 3 day first aid course that was held in school, and with that marks the end of the September one week vacation too. Time learnt a new skill apart from flying; teleportation.

Anyway, the course had been enriching, though the theory was heavy going, giving us ample chances to practice how to be unconscious involuntarily. The instructor, an ex-paramedic with the SAF, was a wealth of knowledge and his passion unmistakable in his heroic attempts to keep us awake with his wonderful collection of photos and video clips amidst the theory.

"This is the palm that got caught in the mincer, the arm had to be amputated"

"This is how a guy looked like after falling from a height of ten stories..."

"This guy got squashed by a ton of bricks..."

"3rd degree burns on the face..."

"See the intestines spilling out?"

...

Heee. One skill learnt, though it is one that no one wants to have the chance to practice on real people.

:D

Transitions still!

There was an article I read a long time ago about jobs and personalities and burning out.

This consultant had this anecdote that he was sharing with his client; a fork is designed to cut into cakes and pastries. If it is used in this way, aka, the correct way, its lifespan is indefinite. However, if one tries to use the fork for other uses, for example boring a hole on the ground or as a hammer, it is not only ineffective, the fork's lifespan is also be greatly shortened. The same can be applied to people and jobs... My ex-teacher was surprised when she saw me at NIE 7 years ago. "You don't look like one who will be a teacher..." So... enough said?

So now, think... JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU REALLY WANT??? Am I a fork, chopsticks or what... then to complicate matters, does the world need what I really want to be?

Just keep training...

Don't think too much.
Don't put too much force.
Don't be too weak.
Don't fight.
Focus on your centre.
Be firm.
Be soft.
Feel.
Don't think too much.


Understand?

Waagarimasen...

O.o

Just keep training training training training...

No, they are not on mobile phones...

It really is a worrying trend.

A peaceful bus ride home today was suddenly disrupted by a woman screaming and quarrelling at the top of her voice; she was quarrelling with herself.

This is the 4th or 5th case I have encounted while taking public transport this year. Men or women talking or quarrelling with themselves on the bus... Such encounters were less frequent in my previous years of public transport taking. I wonder if it is just a coincidence on my part or that something more sinister is happening in our society...

Phew...

Just heard that one friend just had a car accident. The car's gone under a bus when he's driving home after sending his girlfriend home in the wee hours of the morning. Thank the inventors of air-bags, he is shaken but unhurt...

Don't think I would want my parents to hear of this news though, that will only reinforce their thinking of why I should not drive and be continuously driven by them. -_-

Jack-ass adult teenager.

I don't know why do I feel so fed-up.

I should be feeling glad that my mum cared and actually helped me earn money by doing my 'homework' and get geography assessment books for my tuition kid that she is giving tuition to on other subjects as well. (Complicated, yes I know.)

The assessment book is good. I didn't bother to go look for such stuff and I feel bad for this aspect. I only teach the concepts from the textbook. In the first place I wasn't even that keen in giving the kiddo tuition, if not for my mum's nags about it, and yet she is taking over by sourcing for the assessment books for her and then telling me how to tuition the kid. I am not that hard up for the money, and she can do the job what. Why ask me??

Of course my mum being my mum, doesn't understand that and thought she is just trying to help. Me being the depressed slacker that I am now, am not making things easy for her too. Haa! Lose-lose situation.

吃饱没事找事烦。。。