Picnic Basket

Bad week. Kicked self cos generally self screwed. Realised the security and comfort of a hall room. Ranting to girlfriend. Stupid people who made comments about my looks in Cantonese thinking that I was angmoh but sorry boy I understood everything. And stop talking to my boobs. Cafe Del Mar. What is a birthday without the girls. Justin looks good with umbrellas and so does Sharon. Board games whee. Sharing a bottle of French wine and escargots and cheese and lobster mango salad and good conversation. Fashion Bar is tres cool. Would love to cart their sofa home. Wee hour KTV = no voice = here comes Eason Chan.

Weekend was fabulous. And I’ve finally experienced for myself the need to be with non-teacher friends (though my practicum mates are FANTASTIC people, pillars of support as I (sometimes) approach the brinks of insanity at work). It was refreshing to occupy my mind with things apart from students who are blind to "use your own words" and "give two reasons", people who lecture about proper office wear while wearing lacy camisoles that expose half their boobies, about speaking ‘good’ English while being a fine specimen of the Singlish-speaking Singaporean.

It was refreshing to talk about real-world-stuff - like investments and careers and people and clothes and music and wine and clubs and feelings and ‘omg you feel that too?’ kinda conversations.

Whenever I feel like bitch-slapping anyone in the next 7 weeks, I will take a deep breath, remember this weekend, remember the world beyond school.

一大清早, 就为了这一部电影落泪了.

念了那么多年的文学, 今天终于徹徹底底地明白dramatic irony 的意义. 小米的那一封短讯, 小南永远都不会看到的. 但是, 她仍然是幸福的.

有人说<<生日快乐>> 太cliched, 是一部太老土的一个爱情故事 - 但我认为它不仅是关于爱情 - 它当中还包括了信念, 友情, 亲情, 还有简简单单爱与被爱的幸福. 该就像现实中的爱情, 没有起起落落的情节, 就只有那么地平实, 大家就是藉着那份静静的默契, 知道自己在爱与被爱.

有多少爱可以从重来,有多少人值得等待

当懂得珍惜以后回来,却不知那份爱会不会还在

有多少爱可以重来,有多少人值得等待

当爱情已经桑田沧海,是否还有勇气去爱

我其实还蛮懊恼小米对这份感情的犹豫 - 就是最讨厌拖拖拉拉的场面了. 但细心回想, 这该就是这部电影要带给我们的启发吧? 把握与珍惜跟身边每一个人的感情 - 要对爱情有多一点的信心 - 爱情的幸福也未必因于拥有.

现在, 最讨厌的就是看完了华语版才发觉到其实这电影是有粤语版的.就是嘛 - 就觉得奇怪了.

And that is what I strive to do every day indeed.

So the other day, my CT (cooperative teacher - mentor) and I walked past the girls’ toilet after the recess bell had rung. A few girls were still loitering in the toilet. Loudly, my CT said,

Girls, the bell has rung. Please go back to your classrooms NOW.

Girls: Huh?

(Annoyed) The bell has rung. Go back to your classrooms! Why are you standing around here?

Huh?

(Frustrated) The bell ring already la! Understand?

Oohhhhhhhh!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘cher, he says you are very sexy.

Wow, that was a very unappropriate remark and I will make sure that I will remember that.

Ooooohhhhh…..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CT: So why did you choose to take Pure Lit?

Because of you loh!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exact quotes ok.

So school’s been over for a week. And I’ve discovered quite a few things. For one, there is a reason why I am a teacher and not at some desk bound job. I was at the computer doing work for about 1 hour when I suddenly just got sick of the monitor itself and went like UGH. Returned to my cubicle to find my practicum colleague doing the same. Man.

I initially had quite neutral feelings about this school. I mean, nobody has heard of it and things seemed ok from the beginning. And of course, I was already sick of NIE and wanted practicum to start ASAP. But after a week, I have come to really evaluate my role as a practicum teacher here, what I should and should not do, putting some guards up and at the end of the day, have resolved to retain my sanity and more importantly, my passion.

Don’t un? Two lines from the staff ‘emergency discipline briefing’ should give you a clue:

"Teachers, please make sure that no student is cutting himself or herself while you are teaching. Report the student immediately, be it old cuts or new cuts"

"Please cover your own asses. Follow the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure - which I swear is the most loved acronym by S’poreans up there - ugh) at all times! We don’t want the parents to start suing us!"

And don’t even get me started on the stuff I hear and see at the staffroom.

But amidst all these, I thank God with ALL my heart, for once again, He has proved to me that He is indeed making my path straight so long as I obey His calling. For He has blessed me with all these:

- a wonderful, wonderful Christian supervisor from NIE

- a HOD (head of department) who is gentle in spirit but is one of the most passionate teachers that I’ve ever met

- a CT who is completely awe-inspiring both as a teacher and a colleague - one of the few teachers around who truly refuses to give up on her students

- and, despite the average student profile of this school, all of my 6 classes are filled with extremely bright-eyed, intelligent kids whom I believe would be a joy to teach.

Yes, indeed God has provided much more than I’d ever need.