Friday, November 17, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
I was made to wipe the kitchen drawers some day last week and I took the chance to check in on the cockroach at the bottom. The last I saw of it, before last week, that is (aeons ago), it was still nice, whole and intact. Now, it's been smashed to smithereens and you can see its bits if you look under the drawer. What's eeky is the droppings that are everywhere in the drawers. Cockroach poop! Little black balls!
Tootpid cockroaches. It's not like food's kept in those drawers. Anyway, I cleared the droppings, but not the dead cockroach.
It's not gruesome or anything cos it's dry and they (the bits) look like sticks. But I still didn't clear it.
I'm not giving it a proper burial or dumping in the chute! I don't care!
On a random note, lizard shit is ew-ier than cockroaches'. I mean, whose poop is green besides birds'? OK I don't actually know.
I came close to being retained this year, so I was really happy (and relieved) when I received my results slip.
Shafi is just before me on the register, and she was sitting next to me when the slips were handed out.
Ing Keat walked away from the both of us after Shafi got her results, and my heart nearly stopped beating. Gosh!
Of course, my grades of ADEDE are nothing to rejoice over, so I shouldn't have been delighted.
In retrospect, I could have done better if I had managed my time wisely. I say this after every major examination, I think.
For that matter, I come close to being retained or kicked out nearly every year, it's amazing I graduated from secondary school at all.
I'm not even taking Chinese anymore and I'm still getting this kind of shitty results. Shit!
I think Junior College is nothing near what they warned us about in secondary school.
I guess it depends on which school you're enrolled in, or maybe your subject combination.
For one, the life I lead in Pioneer is certainly different from my friends' lives. Then again, all our lives are different.
I don't think I regret coming to Pioneer, I couldn't have gone elsewhere anyway.
First two months in JC, I did all my work dilligently, like all good students, and no one else was doing it.
Four, five months after, I stop doing homejoy when everyone else is getting serious.
I joined and stayed in Canoe cos my orientation pals were there.
I'm quitting in three months no matter the competition outcome or Commontest results.
I wish I could stay longer but I promised my father after the Mid-years that I would buck up or leave CCA for good.
A promise is a promise and I'm very grateful he's agreed that I can stay on til National Marathon is over.
Come February next year, it's back to CCA-less me.
I don't know if I have changed since I don't know, yesterday. During the weeks preceding the release of Promos results,
I thought long and hard over minor details like how to greet who the right way when school reopens
and whether 23rd October would be my last time singing the school song as a Year 1 student, ...could I even stay in the COllege?
Would I still get to wear my oversized blouse that billows and looks so much like a pillow in the wind?
One week leading up to the release, I worried about different things.
Each time I took a rest, I thought I could never be the same person again, no matter what my results turn out to be.
I don't recall ever giving this much a damn about my academic results. But suddenly, the holidays are upon me,
my fate is sealed for the moment, and the urge to 'increase my net-worth' is gone! G-O-N-E. OhdearmewhatamItodo?
Two months will fly by like that and -- I'll shaddup here.
Speaking about change... PAE -- I tried so hard! to ogle at boys, to love the latest mobiles, to giggle at stuff some girls giggle at.
I told a secondary school mate about the boys bit and she looked at me weird and said, 'How can you do that? People can tell!'
But I don't think anyone could and did. I gave up the pretence anyway, only my PAE OG bothered.
These are a two things I have learned so far this year. Defnitely non-exhaustive
It's really important to treat people with sincerity. Most can detect hypocrisy
勤能补拙 Hard work beats talent when talent don't work hard
爱是钥匙，恨是枷锁，请对自己宽容
Tootpid cockroaches. It's not like food's kept in those drawers. Anyway, I cleared the droppings, but not the dead cockroach.
It's not gruesome or anything cos it's dry and they (the bits) look like sticks. But I still didn't clear it.
I'm not giving it a proper burial or dumping in the chute! I don't care!
On a random note, lizard shit is ew-ier than cockroaches'. I mean, whose poop is green besides birds'? OK I don't actually know.
I came close to being retained this year, so I was really happy (and relieved) when I received my results slip.
Shafi is just before me on the register, and she was sitting next to me when the slips were handed out.
Ing Keat walked away from the both of us after Shafi got her results, and my heart nearly stopped beating. Gosh!
Of course, my grades of ADEDE are nothing to rejoice over, so I shouldn't have been delighted.
In retrospect, I could have done better if I had managed my time wisely. I say this after every major examination, I think.
For that matter, I come close to being retained or kicked out nearly every year, it's amazing I graduated from secondary school at all.
I'm not even taking Chinese anymore and I'm still getting this kind of shitty results. Shit!
I think Junior College is nothing near what they warned us about in secondary school.
I guess it depends on which school you're enrolled in, or maybe your subject combination.
For one, the life I lead in Pioneer is certainly different from my friends' lives. Then again, all our lives are different.
I don't think I regret coming to Pioneer, I couldn't have gone elsewhere anyway.
First two months in JC, I did all my work dilligently, like all good students, and no one else was doing it.
Four, five months after, I stop doing homejoy when everyone else is getting serious.
I joined and stayed in Canoe cos my orientation pals were there.
I'm quitting in three months no matter the competition outcome or Commontest results.
I wish I could stay longer but I promised my father after the Mid-years that I would buck up or leave CCA for good.
A promise is a promise and I'm very grateful he's agreed that I can stay on til National Marathon is over.
Come February next year, it's back to CCA-less me.
I don't know if I have changed since I don't know, yesterday. During the weeks preceding the release of Promos results,
I thought long and hard over minor details like how to greet who the right way when school reopens
and whether 23rd October would be my last time singing the school song as a Year 1 student, ...could I even stay in the COllege?
Would I still get to wear my oversized blouse that billows and looks so much like a pillow in the wind?
One week leading up to the release, I worried about different things.
Each time I took a rest, I thought I could never be the same person again, no matter what my results turn out to be.
I don't recall ever giving this much a damn about my academic results. But suddenly, the holidays are upon me,
my fate is sealed for the moment, and the urge to 'increase my net-worth' is gone! G-O-N-E. OhdearmewhatamItodo?
Two months will fly by like that and -- I'll shaddup here.
Speaking about change... PAE -- I tried so hard! to ogle at boys, to love the latest mobiles, to giggle at stuff some girls giggle at.
I told a secondary school mate about the boys bit and she looked at me weird and said, 'How can you do that? People can tell!'
But I don't think anyone could and did. I gave up the pretence anyway, only my PAE OG bothered.
These are a two things I have learned so far this year. Defnitely non-exhaustive
It's really important to treat people with sincerity. Most can detect hypocrisy
勤能补拙 Hard work beats talent when talent don't work hard
爱是钥匙，恨是枷锁，请对自己宽容
Monday, October 23, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
I read this in today's papers
SECRETS, LIES AND SCHOOLS
-------------------------
Felix Kumar*
IS it the parents' fault or is it the school's fault when something such as this happens?
As parents, we would like to give our children the best and guide them in life without being overbearing. For 16 years, we have been doing this. But it was a mistake to let our daughter have the mobile phone and the knowledge of computers.
It was a lethal mixture. She used the Internet in school to go into the website Friendster to get to know men. We later found out she had made contact with more than a hundred men via her handphone.
We have always taken care of her and given her a rich life filled with family activities like swimming, badminton, cycling, outings, prayers, studies and travelling. It would not have been right to say that we as a family did not play our part.
Sad to say, my daughter had been secretly seeing these men behind our backs. We cannot, after all, watch over her shoulder 24 hours a day. It was purely by accident that we caught her going out of the house without our permission.
I sent an SMS to her to come home immediately, but she refused. That fateful day was Aug 19. We made a police report the following day and the police managed to contact her, but she refused to come home.
Afterward, I went to give a copy of the police report to the headmistress of her school. She lacked the PR skills in handling a parent who has lost a daughter. She insinuated that I did not bring up my daughter properly, instead of lending a listening ear and discussing how we could tackle the situation. The irony is, my daughter got involved in this mess because of a schoolmate's influence.
The headmistress's aloof manner also made me wonder if this was one of the contributing factors for the students' behaviour. There is room for improvement in how our schools handle today's students, especially with Internet access, the demands of their generation and communication gaps.
Any remedial steps should be discussed with parents, students and the teachers. I spoke to the teachers at my daughter's school, and they generally expressed sympathy for the student. This should not be the case. They should work with the parents and advise students accordingly.
Recently, there was an outcry from the convent schools over comments in a newspaper article about their students and the opposite sex.
Placed in such a situation, any school should not react defensively, but perhaps make an honest effort to find out the true situation by surveying the parents, students and teachers.
I am writing this with a heavy heart and hope that my words will help someone - a parent, student or teacher. Perhaps someone could set up a forum on this "hidden" topic and explore the answers, for the good of our society.
Facing up to the problem honestly is better than denying it exists and sweeping it under the carpet until a more serious problem evolves. I hope other parents will join me in this.
This is contributed by a reader.
The editors agreed to using a pseudonym to protect his child's identity.
TODAY September 26, 2006
It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
Censorship is the strongest drive in human nature; sex is a weak second.
Phil Kerby
SECRETS, LIES AND SCHOOLS
-------------------------
Felix Kumar*
IS it the parents' fault or is it the school's fault when something such as this happens?
As parents, we would like to give our children the best and guide them in life without being overbearing. For 16 years, we have been doing this. But it was a mistake to let our daughter have the mobile phone and the knowledge of computers.
It was a lethal mixture. She used the Internet in school to go into the website Friendster to get to know men. We later found out she had made contact with more than a hundred men via her handphone.
We have always taken care of her and given her a rich life filled with family activities like swimming, badminton, cycling, outings, prayers, studies and travelling. It would not have been right to say that we as a family did not play our part.
Sad to say, my daughter had been secretly seeing these men behind our backs. We cannot, after all, watch over her shoulder 24 hours a day. It was purely by accident that we caught her going out of the house without our permission.
I sent an SMS to her to come home immediately, but she refused. That fateful day was Aug 19. We made a police report the following day and the police managed to contact her, but she refused to come home.
Afterward, I went to give a copy of the police report to the headmistress of her school. She lacked the PR skills in handling a parent who has lost a daughter. She insinuated that I did not bring up my daughter properly, instead of lending a listening ear and discussing how we could tackle the situation. The irony is, my daughter got involved in this mess because of a schoolmate's influence.
The headmistress's aloof manner also made me wonder if this was one of the contributing factors for the students' behaviour. There is room for improvement in how our schools handle today's students, especially with Internet access, the demands of their generation and communication gaps.
Any remedial steps should be discussed with parents, students and the teachers. I spoke to the teachers at my daughter's school, and they generally expressed sympathy for the student. This should not be the case. They should work with the parents and advise students accordingly.
Recently, there was an outcry from the convent schools over comments in a newspaper article about their students and the opposite sex.
Placed in such a situation, any school should not react defensively, but perhaps make an honest effort to find out the true situation by surveying the parents, students and teachers.
I am writing this with a heavy heart and hope that my words will help someone - a parent, student or teacher. Perhaps someone could set up a forum on this "hidden" topic and explore the answers, for the good of our society.
Facing up to the problem honestly is better than denying it exists and sweeping it under the carpet until a more serious problem evolves. I hope other parents will join me in this.
This is contributed by a reader.
The editors agreed to using a pseudonym to protect his child's identity.
TODAY September 26, 2006
It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate Your Freedom to Read
Censorship is the strongest drive in human nature; sex is a weak second.
Phil Kerby
Friday, July 14, 2006
Just so you know
WE MADE HISTORY
I didn't win anything. But no 'what-if's, I won't allow that. Could have managed direction better, but I thought it was a good shot.
When my seniors and teammates lifted their trophies, I thought my heart would burst with pride although it wasn't my hour, ain't it funny?
Cheered my heart out and screamed my throat hoarse as everyone crossed the finishing line.
We are all fired up. Training resumes in a week, and I can't wait.
Heard some gripes after everything was over, but I think they were uncalled for. It may seem as if you deserve what you didn't get. Don't forget that this year is only your first, some of your competitors have been around for at least a year more. On water, not everyone gave their all every instant. Training was so frequent the last few weeks it sometimes seems as if my canoe career so far has centred on those few sessions. But what took place the months before matter too, and I won't ever forget that.
Victory's all the sweeter cos we were the underdogs. And we'll never settle for anything less. Ever
I didn't win anything. But no 'what-if's, I won't allow that. Could have managed direction better, but I thought it was a good shot.
When my seniors and teammates lifted their trophies, I thought my heart would burst with pride although it wasn't my hour, ain't it funny?
Cheered my heart out and screamed my throat hoarse as everyone crossed the finishing line.
We are all fired up. Training resumes in a week, and I can't wait.
Heard some gripes after everything was over, but I think they were uncalled for. It may seem as if you deserve what you didn't get. Don't forget that this year is only your first, some of your competitors have been around for at least a year more. On water, not everyone gave their all every instant. Training was so frequent the last few weeks it sometimes seems as if my canoe career so far has centred on those few sessions. But what took place the months before matter too, and I won't ever forget that.
Victory's all the sweeter cos we were the underdogs. And we'll never settle for anything less. Ever
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