An afternoon in the slum

Armed with two bags of used clothing, my group was packed into the back of a pickup and ferried to the slum area to visit a few of the students attending Kon Kian Christian School. Despite the fact I was already briefed on their living condition, I was totally unprepared for what I was about to experience.

We were greeted by a long narrow alley only wide enough for a tricycle to pass. The alley was cordoned by concrete and dilapidated zinc walls which formed the walls of adjoining homes. The air was stale as we inched closer into the heart of the slum. After a few minutes of silent walking, the alley opened up into a corridor with rows of homes made from wood, concrete and corrugated metal.

We stopped at the home of one of our students. Our guide shared with us that the girl's dad has left the family, and her sister and her were subsisting on her mother's meagre income she got from collecting used cardboard and bottles. At her front door was a pushcart with things that we would wantonly discard as rubbish, yet these were the very things that kept this family alive.

A few doors down, we met another family. A little child was knocked down by a motorcycle, and with little money for proper treatment, the helpless mother could only hold the child close to her bosom hoping for a miracle. Yet a few doors down, another child was waiting for her parents to visit her from Bangkok. She has been abandoned by her parents to be looked after by her aged grandparents.

I also saw an old woman sitting at the doorway of her poorly-lit home, staring impassively into the void. She looked haggard and unwashed, and her eyes conveyed a sense of helplessness that lingered in that place.

Everywhere we turned we saw little children with bruises, wearing oversized clothes too big for them, playing in the cool evening as the day drew to a close. With little money, many of these children would end up leaving school early. Yet it was a relief to see the smiles of little children amidst the shackling poverty, a little respite from an otherwise sobering afternoon.


As I looked at the two little bags, it dawned on me how little we could really offer. Giving away used, discarded clothing was a tiny drop in an ocean. Confronted with abject poverty, we were all convicted of a sense of helplessness that only God could overcome. We prayed for those in need, perhaps the only thing we could do. We empathized and for that moment we could feel the grief God must feel as He watches his creation suffered.

As we passed each doorway with its own sad story to tell, I knew that we would never be the same again.

sawat-dee khrap

Hello people. I am actually writing this from the land of the 1000 smiles, give or take a few old hags who dont smile. Dont tell this to any scout, but I am actually here with the BB. I must have lost my mind to do so. They make me work so hard now I am having a flu.

I will tell you more when i get back. There is a lot of networking to do with certain Thai People.

Goodbye in any language.

PS: Dont miss me too much. By the way, I think scouts rox!

In memory of Nguen Tuong Van

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Psalm 23, NIV



"IT was his last wish: to walk unshackled and confidently, rosary beads hidden in his grip, to the gallows.

After a day of tears and goodbyes, and a night of prayer, Australian drug-trafficker Nguyen Tuong Van had accepted his fate and was ready to be hanged at 6am (9am AEST) today in Singapore's Changi prison.

The former Melbourne salesman, 25, was said yesterday to be frightened by the method of his death but comforted by his newfound Christian faith in going to "somewhere good"."

Excert from the Australian


Do take a few minutes to remember Tuong Van in prayer. May the Lord strengthen him and keep him safe in a place where there is true freedom and rejoicing. Pray also for his family and friends too.

Advanced and Core Math textbooks for 2006

If any of you have not bought the Advanced Math or Core Math textbooks, I happen to know a few sec 4 students who have completed their O level and wont mind parting with their texts since they wont use them again.

Do sms me if you are interested.

Camping at CyberAC

It is way past midnight and I am in, of all places, CyberAC, chaperoning a couple of juveniles participating in the Comserve camp. In my humble opinion, this camp is simply a cover for overnight gaming marathon, judging from the extremely strong brew of coffee served and the concentration of like-minded individuals bent on killing each other on Counter Strike.

Of course I managed to get myself killed on DOTA playing against the computer. What a miserable existence. I had to decline politely a few sec one students who invited me to join them on a LAN version of DOTA. Well I know their evil intention to whack a teacher on cyberspace. I wasnt born yesterday.

I am not sure how I can sleep tonight. Hard floor and my aging body are not the best of friends. But I will survive. Wonder who sang that. Anyone knows?

FPS and BB Sharity Box

For the year 4 2006 boys who are still FPSing, there is a FPS meeting on the 30th November 2005 and we will go through the first THREE steps in great detail. The Year 3 boys are joining us.

Venue: PC Room (as usual)
Time : 8.00 am

Do try to make it!

Tim, Ding and Fab, which sharity box are you guys manning? Tell us and we come and visit and put something in. Have a merry Christmas!

Slacking Around

With school out, I am taking the time to catch up on my classical guitar playing. It's really nice that Kenny and KT are interested in classical guitar. In giving them some pointers, I was forced to practise a little each day. It has been a long time since I last picked up the guitar. Now the enthusiasm is back. So thanks guys.

I am also busy preparing lessons for FPS. I really want to go through the first 3 steps of the process, and see how our FPS teams can equipt themselves better for 2006. I am very thankful to the year 4s (2006) for hanging around and not giving up after this year. I am also equally thrilled with the year 3s we are getting. They are an enthusiastic bunch and very hardworking. With both year 3s and 4s gearing towards an assault on the FPS , I am all charged up to give my very best as their FPS coach.

I am leaving for thailand on the 14th Dec. Back on the 22nd Dec. Please pray for journey's mercy for the mission trip team going up to Kong kien, hope I have spelled it correctly. I am praying that this trip will not only recharge an often lethargic spiritual life, but God willing, renew a a sense of purpose in my life.

I hope that you guys out there will spend the remainder of your vacation wisely. Get renewed and face 2006 with a new sense of vigor. God bless!

Frozen in time

I have to admit this. I am one of those guilty of not updating my blog. My last post was 8 days ago and judging from the fact that nobody has tagged recently, I have come to the conclusion that many faithfuls have given up making their appearance on this blog.

So this blog is for the pilgrims who have not deserted me, though I have yet to think of anything remotely useful to blog about. Vacation is in full swing, I am reduced to wallowing in self-pity over my seemingly unstoppable weight gain. I blame this unfortunate turn of event squarely on the fact that exercise has become an intolerable chore. The gloomy rainy days execerbate my deplorable state, quenching what little desire I have to do something about the advancing buldge.

I am not of course saying that being fat is necessarily a bad thing. It is just that the excess weight has made me rather lethargic and I am beginning to become inactive. The feeling is akin to what bears must feel when they are hibernating over the cold winter months. The only difference is that I have cable and internet to keep me occupied and even more sedentary.

Growing Sideways

I am kind of worried that I am growing sideways as a result of unrestrained eating amidst this holiday season and continuous stream of official buffet lunches and dinners. For some unexplained reason, I have been neglecting my regular dose of exercise which exercerbate the physical deterioration I see developing. Soon enough I will not be able to jump into my favourite pair of trousers should I fail to stop the advances of the bulging tummy. War rages on.

Coming back to happier matters, I am pleased that Sean and company had a great time, and the spread of ethnic cuisine was pleasant to everyone's palette. The games looked fun, if not tostesterone-laden, appealing to the primal instincts that lie dormant. The girls looked on, cheering on the champions in their victory dance. How very tribal.

I am glad to report that Si Yan has been given a portion of the food and cake from the party so that he too can partake in Sean's joy. I do hope that his parents will not think me mad for coming over at 10 pm at night to deliver food. It was along the way to Phil's house and it was really not a problem. By the way, Si Yan sounds like his dad over the phone, and I mistakenly thought that Si Yan was on the phone when it was actually his father. I said in my teacherly tone.. "May I speak to your mom please..." Err... how embarassing. I profusely apologise.

I promise myself today I will restart my regime of exercise to fight the buldge.

PLTC

Patrol Leader Training Camp (PLTC) 2005 saw 36 year two scouts signing up for the 4-day camp. Having worked with them this year, I know them well and I am encouraged that they take on the gruelling PLTC in their stride.

I hope that they will continue to upgrade their scouting skills and aspire to be the best scouts ever! I hope that they have enjoyed the menu lined up for them

i) Chicken soup and spagetti for dinner
ii) Roti John for breakfast
iii)Mango pudding for supper and ice-cream for dessert

A little gastronomical delight to lighten up an otherwise dreary regiment of training!

And here's the year 2s holding their now famous trademark...


"Ooosh... Baaaagus!"

3-9 2005

Or the less formal..




And these photos are of my other class 3-9, but some are missing but not forgotten.
Tien En, Sean, Kaijun, Tedkin, Sloke, Eliel and Elliot, Kevin, Ding, Little Clarence, Big John, Joash and Kevin

A note of thanks to Clifton, Benedict, Ching Long, Justin and Nigel

Dearest

Clifton
Benedict
Ching Long
Justin
Nigel

I just want you to know that you have really made my day today. Your farewell card caught me by surprise, since one would not expect getting a card unless it’s teacher’s day or my birthday. So I wrote this post to tell each of you that your kind gesture meant a lot. It was also touching knowing that Clifton and Benedict came all the way to school today to deliver the cards to the teachers although they did not have to be in school at all.

I am proud to be your teacher this year and I am assured that the character you possess will put you in good stead in due time. Take care of each other in brotherly love, helping those who lag behind to catch up and encouraging your fellow classmates in 4-13 in tough times.

I love your class and is honoured to be your teacher.I apologise for being hard on you at times or have wronged any of you. I am human and I make mistakes.

God bless each of you and I hope that you will enjoy your vacation!

Mr Azmi

Down memory lane...

Here's a photo session with 3-10 2005 just a few days before the end of the year. They will be fondly remembered...

All the best for Chinese O Level

For those taking the Chinese O Level this monday, I just want to wish you all the very best. Dont sleep too late tonight revising!

Mr Azmi

Reflection for the year (Part 2)

The staff of ACSI met up for the annual dinner last night. It was my first time joining them and I had a great time. The food was excellent,every morsel of it was tasty. I walked away with a fat reduction package as my lucky draw prize. It was pretty embarrassing. I guess it was payment for enforcing my anti-self deprecation rule.

It was also a time to unwind and dress up a little. All the teachers looked glamorous. I thought I was in the Oscar's presentation.

Well it has been a great week. On Thursday this week, I was invited to the Boarding School Christmas Dinner. The buffet dinner was excellent and there was plenty to eat. What really impressed me most was the entertainment that the boarders put up. I cant help laughing now just thinking back on all the slapstick and ridiculously lame jokes. They were also very musical, I think we have the making of Singapore Idols right here in our backyard.

I am exhausted after my first year, but it's really the happy kind of tiredness. I feel really fulfilled in this career, and I pray that somewhere out there, I have made a little difference in someone's life. My only regret is not knowing my true calling as a teacher much earlier. But well, better than never.

I look forward to supporting my new class 3-10. When I first them on Friday, I was pretty anxious. There were 22 pairs of eyes peering at me, sizing me up. I hope to reach out to every single one of them, and that they will open up and share their lives with me too.

I will miss the warm fellowship of this year's 3-9, 3-10 and 3-13, but I am fully convinced that God has a wonderful plan for each of these boys and will see them through the challenges that lie ahead.

FPS Lunch

I was thinking of organising FPS lunch cum get-together at my place. We will invite Si Yan, Fabriz and Tim as our guests of honour. I am thinking of Saturday afternoon 5th November. Sms me if you can make it!

PS: Daryl and Ian, where's my playground proposal?

Collection of poems

I thought I should share this poem that Kevin wrote which I found quite beautiful. It captured the desperation and dilemma quite well...

I have made a promise i cannot keep.
For fear of it i cannot sleep,
That which I sowed I know I'll reap,
I have made a promise I cannot keep.

I would break it but my conscience speaks,
I would keep it but my mind won't stick,
I am lost as to what to plead,
Should I chance it or should my feet be fleet?

Kevin Ng Tze Yao

I was chatting with Kevin and I was thinking that since Daryl also writes poems, perhaps it would be a great idea to compile the good poems and get them published. Perhaps ask the budding poets from our school to send in their poems for selection then send the compilation to a publishing house. Proceeds could go to the pocket money fund or something like that. This would be a great idea for CASL perhaps.

What do you guys think? Can we pull this off?

Reflection for the year (Part 1)

I am thankful this year that I have begun my career as a teacher well. The classes which have been handed to me are manageable and extremely considerate to a new teacher. Thank you for putting up with my teaching styles and often very lame jokes. I promise to improve my joke-telling skills next year.

To all my students I wish the very best for next year. Even if I cease to be your subject teacher, I will always look out for you and share in your joy as you grow from strength to strength. For those that I have wronged, I am truly sorry. Like all others, I am a flawed person. I learn from mistakes and hope that my experience this year would make me a better teacher.

The Best is Yet to Be. For both students and teachers alike. My parting advice to my students and myself is this: Be FAT!

F for Faithful
A for Available
T for Teachable

We may not meet as often next year but as we meet along the corridors, I will remember you and appreciate that each and every single one of you has enriched my life in one way or another.

God Bless!

Karaoke Delux

Now I realise that ACSI is full of talented people. I am especially impressed by the year 1 boys who I thought had a high quality voice. I was not sure why Si Yan looked down in embarassment when his fellow choir mate got up to sing.

However I also never realised that cringing is an involuntary response to hair-raising and sorry excuse for dancing. But it was kind of hilarious, and if marks were given for comic relief, our first contestant would have won the competition hands-down.

The teachers were especially impressive. I had the impression that a few may have moonlighted as night-club singers. Wonderful singing and I was truly entertained!

Things to do for the Hols

I thought it would be nice to jot down the things I want to do for the hols...

1) Help out in PLTC... really get a kick out of getting the year 2s do their BAGUS thing in perfect timing

2) Prepare for mission trip to Thailand in December

3) Collect the rest of the money the year 2 scouts owe.

4) Move house. Anyone want to help me out?

5) Practise my guitar playing. Quite rusty already

Hurray...end of exams!

Congratulations to all for making it through the exams. Enjoy the weekend and we'll think of some nice post-exam activities.

Take care!

Breakfast Communion

I woke up late this morning and was not going to make it in time for my own church service at 9 am. As usual, I had a backup plan in the form of Living Waters Methodist service at 10 am. So I decided to call Eric and Daryl for a hearty breakfast fellowship at Dover around 9.20 am.

We had egg pratas that were a far cry from those delicious versions we had at Casuarina Road. Eric insisted on them, and I feared that he would implode should I deny him his craving for bits of pratas. He was ravishingly hungry, and I caught him on several occasions eyeing my pratas when he thought I was not looking.

I kept watch over my pratas to fend off the advances of Eric who was salivating like a hungry wolf, or was that excess powder on his face? I appeased him finally with an offering of Dover pancake that was hastily washed down with bandung....

Welcome to the Scouts

I see a lot of scout traffic on my blog these few days. So I want to take this opportunity to say hello to all the scouts. Minyang and Leonard, dont forget the big post-exam party? Can I leave u in charge of planning one? Let's get all scouts involved in a nice time of fellowship and get-together...

The schools I have been in...

I was having a conversation and for some reason we ended talking about the old days... Nostalgia. I must be getting old since flashbacks have become frequent conversation topics.

I digress. We were talking about the schools we came from, and that started me thinking about all the schools I have been in. So here are the schools in chronological order:

Sembawang Estate Primary School
I was in this school in Primary one and then shifted to another school when my family moved to Ang Mo Kio.

Mayflower Primary
I was here up to primary 6. I had great friends there. Sadly, I have lost their contact information. I wish I know how they are getting on. Did I tell you I scored an aggregate 3.6% lower than the higest aggregate that year?

Mayflower Secondary
I was here for less than 3 weeks. My parents thought it was a good idea to send me to a nearby school in Ang Mo Kio. I thought so too. Besides Mayflower is the feeder school for my primary school so it was a logical progression.

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School.
I was hear for a day. At my mom's friend persuasion, my dad tried to transfer me to Raffles Institution but was told there was no vacancy and the available places were for scholars. Disappointed, my parents transferred me to Ahmad Ibrahim, which was back then a better school in terms of academic results in my vicinity. I was here for one day. Bought the school uniform and wore it for one day only.

I also remembered that I broke the legs of a chair when I sat on it.

Raffles Institution
Finally the principal Mr A K Sigamoney called up my dad so I was transferred to Raffles Institution. I was here up to secondary 4. I thought wearing white was cool.

Raffles Junior College
It was kind of natural to move to RJC, being an ardent Rafflesian. I joined Interact Club in RJC and choir. A lot of fun! I did GP, Econs, Physics, C Math and F Math in JC.

School of Military Medicine (SMM)
I learnt to be a medic in the army here. Back then SMM was in SAFTI which was very far away. I still have the needle puncture marks from many practise sessions on infusion. I have since developed a phobia for sharp objects.


University of Cambridge
I did my first degree in Electrical and Information Sciences, followed by a Master Degree in Engineering (Communications) here. I love punting down River Cam and the fellowship of countless cookouts. I also fondly remembered the changing of seasons and the Welsh mountained I trekked up. Did I tell you I did a solo climb of Mount Olympus?

National University of Singapore
I spent 2 years doing a research master degree in Engineering. It was on mathematical modelling. Quite gruesome. But at least I found out my love for teaching here, so I decided to be a teacher.

National Institute of Education
One year learning how to teach. I grew fatter here because there was too many canteen breaks. The most memorable in NIE was the long flight of stairs leading to the canteen. It was also ironic that some of the teachers teaching trainee teachers were really quite hopeless when come to teaching.

Clementi Town Secondary
I teach here as a contract teacher and during my teacher training phase. I had a tough time with my classes, especially with defiant girls. At one time, I received hate-mail froma girl with a lot of expletives and in no uncertain terms describe me as the worst teacher she ever had. It was discouraging and I had second thought about being a teacher. But thanks to the encouragement and guidance of more experienced teachers, I decided not to give up.


Anglo Chinese School (Independent)
My current stopover. I am enjoying every minute of it here as a teacher. I am blessed with wonderful students who love learning, fun-loving and adorable.They made me glad that I did not give up when I wanted to. I hope that I had served them well during my first year here in ACS(I) and they have learnt something useful that they can take away with them to the next level.

I cannot say where I will go next. Life is very fluid and I guess I better leave it in God's good hands.

Reality sets in

I should really stop being grumpy. It's really good advice come to think of it.

Why get all flustered about students who could not care less that you are trying to teach?

Why bother to remind them many times when there is hardly anyone who was listening to you in the first place?

Why go the extra mile for those who treat you like you do not exist?

Care less and you probably wont be wantonly accused of being grumpy. Let those who want to do other people's work in your class alone. They know best.

Teaching has its high and low moments. This was probably one of the lowest. Standing in front of a class, trying to teach, calling out for crumbs of attention and getting derision in return, these are the things that made me wish I was elsewhere.

Indifference kills the spirit, without which, passion is utterly worthless.

Overwhelming week

I have to say this week has been very exhausting. I was almost on the brink of collapse last Thursday, when I had to juggle some major deadlines with Extended Essay Briefing for the year 4s.

But thanks be to God. When I thought I wouldnt make it, I did and I attribute it entirely to God's provision and sustenance. I recalled being so stressed over work, my laptop failing at the most inconvenient time and to make matters worse, my car breaking down when I needed it most. I almost gave up. But I called on God for strength and peace of mind. Despite the late nights and hectic schedule, I am thankful I have managed so far.

I wish all the students out there the very best for exam. May the Lord be with you in your time of need. Dont lose heart; simply do your very best and keep your faith in God. In time you will mature to be the person that God wants you to be.

Take care!

Sunday Reflection

I had a great sunday today. I was driving of to my church as usual this morning when I was overcome by an overwhelming desire to visit Living Waters Methodist. A sudden craving for Dover pancakes may explain the change of heart, but I could attribute it to divine appointment as well.

The sermon was given by a missionary pastor, introduced as an accomplished guitarist who has served six years in Nepal. He challenged the congregation to seriously consider going on a mission trip. I have been asked to consider a mission trip in December, so could this be a timely reminder from God to seriously consider this offer? Let's pray about this..

Did I tell you I had breakfast with Darryl before going for service? We had a great time indulging in mee rebus and authentic kopitiam coffee. While we were there a lady passed by which looked like last year's Miss Singapore pageant winner. You could ask Darryl to tell you more about this.

You probably know I wasn't too happy when Derek and Tim were going off from my class while I was teaching. When I had time to think about this, I realised it wasnt such a big deal and they were doing something really important that day. I should have been more supportive and accomodating.

Tien En was right. Some day my FPS boys would probably need to get out of class for one thing or another and so I should be reasonable if I expect other teachers to do the same. Chong Wee made a similar point, but with more colourful language I am too bashful to blog. You can ask him about it. In conclusion I did not think I did the right thing. So I apologise unreservedly to Tim and Derek for making them miserable last Friday. Please forgive me. Teachers make mistakes too.

While I am on the topic of forgiveness, I am also sorry to those who came for last Friday's remedial last Friday. I am sorry I was not able to give each of you my fullest attention as I had UYO to attend to. I hope you guys will still turn up, and next time round we will go through the areas which you still have difficulty with.

Again I remind you that I am here to help you should you need a helping hand. Persevere in your revision and may the Peace of God go with you wherever you go.

Classic Jokes at today's sermon

Some of you had the privelege of getting sms from me about two jokes the preacher shared with us during the sermon time today. To make sure the rest of you do not miss out on such great jokes, I have decided to place them in my blog. So here they are... enjoy!

1) What do you call pastors in Germany?

Answer: German Shepherd

2) What disease do churchgoers who do little else catch?

Answer: Pewmonia

Hilarious! They kill me....

Yup I turned 34 on the 9th Sept

Well funny that i decided to schedule the advanced math remedial on the 9th of September, which happened to be my birthday. I had a lot to settle during this break, and so I scheduled the lesson to be at the end of the week do that I could prepare the lesson well and settle some outstanding workload.

It was a nice pleasant day. I earnestly hope everyone benefitted from the lesson. It was designed to get everyone started on revision, but in no way replace what is needed- good solid revision. My advice to all is that you guys should open up your textbook and practise, with your journal and file within reach.

The day was well spent. There was a good time of fellowship, circling around capuccino, milo, biscuits, donuts and more food. I dont think remedial could be this fun. Next time we may throw in CyberAC in between. Didnt think of that.

My birthday wish follows a typical exam question structure i.e. with many parts...


i) Those who are slightly behind would not lose heart and be discouraged, but do their very best for the exam. There is no need to worry that you would disappoint me. I appreciate you for who you are, and not what you can do.

ii) There are some among you who think that math is not your cup of tea, and I can understand that. At the end of the year, I do hope that you would find that math lessons are not at all that bad. Who knows, you may even develop a liking for it..

iii) I know that many of u take my "No Self-Deprecation" rule as a light-hearted joke but I hope the message gets acrossed. Just because you are bad in something does not make you a loser. We are all good in some things but nobody can say he is good in everything. Hold your head high and feel good about yourself.

iv) Lastly, for those who are good in math, I pray that you would continue to soar high up and achieve the potential in this subject that God has ordained for you. But be careful to be well grounded in humility.


Half my life is gone now, but there are a couple of good years left, God willing. Life is real precious, and I hope that with the remaining time left, I could have more opportunities to introduce Jesus to people, without whom, even a long immortal life would be meaningless.

Just a note of thanks

Hello people.

I have accumulated a sizeable stash of goodies thanks to your very generous gifts last teacher's day. I must first thank all of you for the assortment cards adorned with very thoughtful messages and encouraging remarks. Make me wish that teacher's day is just about every other day of the week.

So thank you to Daryl, Yeang, the class of 310, Tim, Arjun, all the scouts, Kenny, David and Kaijun..

Chocolates seemed to be the top currency on teacher's day. I had bars of chocolates, from Fabriz, Kaijun and Joyce, so if I had gained weight somewhat, you guys are to blame. But I ate most of them, shared the leftover around. I have a soft spot for chocolates, cant resist them....

The most refreshing gift was those sweet cherry tomatoes from Ian and company. They were so nice, though I was expecting pomelos.

If Kenneth Tang is reading this, I want to know the meaningful paperweight is sitting pretty on my desk. You took a lot of effort to get that and I appreciate the gift dearly.

You know what... I am so pleased with all you guys we should charter a bus to take us to Casuarina Road prata shop and we can feast on overpriced prata and extinct milo dinasaurs... What say u?

A few miscellaneous thoughts

Firstly, my blog is showing sign of neglect. I have spent more time strolling unto other people's blogs then craft my own thoughts. I find the writings very illuminating. I wish I have the links to more of my students' blogs so that I can know them even better.

Term has ended and I give thanks for the time to catch up on a few deadlines and also take time off to reflect. I do find myself feeling a little lethargic and gettig a little impatient ever too frequently. I suppose I need this time away from school to rest a little more, and think of ways to help each of my student get the best out of lessons.

I hope to find time for each and every one of you. However, if you feel in some way neglected, do approach me and I will do what I can to give you a hand. That's my promise to you. Do let me know.

Enjoy the holiday. If you need help with work, or prayer, just call or leave a tag.

Running the Race

How time flies. It's almost the end of term three and it has been an exhilirating ride. With so many exciting things that came my way, it was difficult to find time for self-reflection. I had received feedback on my teaching style, which I want to blog about here.

Firstly, I should set deadlines for assignments. I think that is a good idea since students procrastinate if they are not given firm deadlines. Perhaps I should not give them too many questions as homework, which would help speed up their assignment.

Another student said I shouldnt be too apologetic. The say that some students do deserve being reprimanded so I should not feel so bad doing so. I will keep that in mind. But importantly I wish that they know that when they are corrected, it would be for their own good. I don't enjoy putting people down or giving them a bad day. I really like to build students up so that they realise their God-given potential.

Cross-Country Prata

I guess I am a little disappointed that I didnt run the whole way at the cross-country yesterday. I suppose the moral of the story is never try to pace much faster runners when you run on eveready batteries and not energizers. But not getting top three is no big deal, since it was well compensated for by the very insane prata lunch at Casuarina Drive.

In all honesty I have never since so many pratas in my entire life. There was plain, egg, onion, chicken floss and cheese pratas on the table, together with copious amount of fish and chicken gravy with real fish and chicken morsels. Despite the huge spread, which I initially had doubt about finishing, the very insane 5 (including me in the lunch party minus the insane part) miraculously managed to gobble that all down, with the aid of the now extinct milo dinasaur. S$54 of prata lunch for 5 persons, on record, the most expensive prata to date but also the most memorable.

Now back to my story...

My interest in Jesus grew as I got to know more about Him, Over a period of 6 months, I attended church on sunday, and mosque on fridays, perhaps getting the best of both worlds (so I thought). At one point in time, I stopped attending church when I got home to Singapore over the summer vacation. Being close to my family in Singapore brought home the gravity of the situation.

If I were to choose Jesus, I would face the wrath of my family, perhaps even being expelled from home. These were all real fears and I was not sure that knowing Jesus was worth paying this price.

When I was home for the summer, I did my job attachment with my sponsoring company. I had muslim colleagues who did not know of my inclination towards Jesus. I dared not shared my interest in Christ with anyone, fearing that I would be ostracised. On Fridays, I would make the trip to the mosque to keep up with my muslim colleagues though I wasnt really interested.

My christian friends introduced me to my first church in Singapore. It was a nice family church and I used to sneak out of my house early sunday mornings to attend service. I used to wake up early to go out on sunday as I did not wish my mom and dad to ask where I was going. I managed to keep this up for some time.

At one point in time in my life I had to decide for myself whether Jesus was really for me. I had come to hate the double life I was living. I thought to myself: If I really loved Jesus, then I should be willing to pay the price for what I believed in. I was considering getting baptised as a symbolic demonstration of my firm commitment to Christ since I was tired of being neither here nor there.

Congrats to ACS(I) for winning C Division Rugby

I was jubilant when the boys clinched the victory. From training by 7, they managed to catch up and won. That would take nerve of steel and strong will to fight and I say I am very, very proud of them. It moved me to tears.

The rugby boys sacrificed much of themselves to bring the glory to the school. Today was their day, which I am sure they will cherish for many, many years to come.

One thing we can all learn from this is that we always fight on. We can learn to persevere even when our situation is grim. What would seem impossible for men is not impossible for God to accomplish.

I hope that you guys would bring this attitude back to the classroom.
When you struggle with the daily assignments and new materials, remember that though the school is not physically there to cheer you on, we are always there beside you all the way. More importantly, God is there too and nothing is more pleasing to Him then to see each of you give off your best as an act of worship unto the Lord.

I am also glad and greatly encouraged by many students who, despite their struggles with math, are giving off their best. If you are one of them, I just like to state my appreciation here and I am very delighted!

To forgive divine!

Despite Tim's best attempts to ensnare me into self deprecation, he has not been very successful. He could spend time instead training and paying back the 750 push-ups which is owed. But I forgive him his futile attempts.

I have also seen Eric matures over this few days. I have long got over his little outburst in class some time ago. Yet it touches my deeply that he tries to make up for it by giving his best for his advanced math test. Let me say right here that I am proud of Eric as my student and I would hope that the rest of you would encourage him along the way and give him more room to grow. We all make mistakes, but we learn and move on.

Join me in prayer!

Let's not be deceived. The devil is like a roaring lion waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. The more you want to do things which honour God, the more you will find yourself embroiled in crisis not of your choosing.

Resist the devil. Stand firm!

Be it worship band, BB leadership, relationship with God, or honouring God with your life, the Devil wants to find a way to ruin that desire that God has placed in your heart. It has happened to me many times over, and I wont be surprised if it happens to you, my dearest brothers.

Blessed are you for the trials that come your way, for they will make u stronger if u overcome. Be courageous, because our Lord has overcome the world. Make peace with your neighbours and yourself too, and remember always that our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the insidious power of darkness that control our world for a little while.

Join me in prayer when you read this. Pray for those you know who are struggling with one thing or another. Dont delay!

Congratulations

Congrats to Fabriz and Sean for their new responsibilites in BB and NCC Air respectively. May the Lord grant them diligence, wisdom and strength to discharge their heavy responsibilites to the best of their abilities.

To God be all Glory and Honour!

Moral Dilemma

It was pretty weird in the six months leading to that fateful day when I decided to accept Christ into my life. My religious life would be packed around the weekend. Friday attending mosque and sunday, church. This of course excludes the weekly bible study I attended and the regular prayers at the mosque on an ordinary weekday.

My first church service was pretty harrowing. I was scared that at any moment I would be struck by lightning bolt especially handpicked by the other God who would surely not approve his worshipper attending church. I was also afraid of being seen and treated like an infidel. Infidels who leave the faith are not an especially favoured lot, and that is to put it quite mildly.

But I enjoyed church very much though so I kept coming back. I loved sunday church service, which would be followed by a lazy football game with my university juniors at midsummer commons, very near to Cam river. Back then I used to play soccer, until I developed two left foot and had to give up soccer for good.

As I learned more about Jesus, I began to want to know Him more. Coming from my background, it was difficult to understand the concept of the Holy Trinity, since there is only one God as I have been taught from young. Then there was a diet problem, since I could not bring myself near any pork which was considered unclean. I used to get by on vegetables and chicken (strictly not allowed though) at christian fellowship meetings. 10 years down the road I still have problems with eating pork, such is the power that my previous beliefs had on me.

Jesus knows me

My story has not ended. I stopped writing in my most recent post as it was time to go to school. I woke early on Monday morning and I thought it would be nice to share my testimony with my beloved students. It honours God to let people know about His goodness, and perhaps it could make a difference in someone's life. Let's pray that it will.

Coming back to my sharing, well the thing that really struck to the core of my being is the humanity of God. The Gospel was repulsive and appealing at the same time. It was repulsive because at that time, at age 22, I was brought up with a religious worldview that God was (and is) a being who far exceeds a human being and to think of God coming in human form was ridiculous. I used to worship God at a distance and calling Him father was unthinkable. It would be considered a blesphamy to call a man God, worse yet, to call a man the Son of God.

In the bible, Jesus was more than a mere prophet gifted in healing. He had the power of ressurection, able to command nature and contrary to the accounts told to me, Jesus of the bible declared himself Son of God. Imagine my horror to read about Jesus in the gospel which contradicted all I have learnt all my life.

Yet the power of God's Word consumed me, and the truth of God's Word overcame my initial instinct to reject outright the alien message of the Gospel. It wasnt really because I believed that the bible was authentic, as I was brought up believing that it was corrupted to begin with and therefore held no truth.

I simply believed because as I read the word of the bible, the truth of Jesus' word manifested itself in my life. I saw my sinful life as the bible declared it, and thought of myself righteous no more. I believed in Christ because of His profound love for me. He died on the cross so that wretched people like me could have a new beginning.

Six months after my first encounter with Christ, much of my religious piety came crashing down. Jesus showed to me the worthlessness of outward piety with little inward renewal. Yet I hang on to my life, out of fear of family reprisal and disaproval of my friends. It was a lonely existence those few months, being wedged in between a growing desire to worship at Jesus' feet and the need to keep up appearances.

What matters most

I accepted Christ in 1993, back in Cambridge when I was into my 2nd year as an engineering student. When a college friend asked me to attend his bible studies on a cold winter evening, I said OK. There was really nothing better to do in the long nights of winter, and the lack of warm company, sheer boredom and curiosity on what this business of Christianity was all about drove me to say yes. I was well warned by well-meaning friends to stay away from false religions, but well, I thought i was sufficiently well grounded in my religion and would not be easily swayed away.

I couldnt be more wrong wrong. A message of the Gospel would never leave anyone anything less but transformed. Ever since that first night, I came back again and again, driven by a hunger to know this Jesus who delivered God to me in the currency I could understand and appreciate: Humanity. The Christian God seemed more approachable and emphatic to my plight as a human being, not remote and indifferent as the God I thought I knew.

Wasn't it a scary thought that the God of the universe would love you so much that He was willing to come down to earth to die in your place? That was the message of the Gospel that confronted me and it was amazing. How could anyone receive such a message and remain indifferent?

Jogging in Real Life

Last night i went for a jog with a good friend, and we ended running about 10 km. What I learnt from the experience was that running the distance with a friend made the difference. If I were to run on my own, without the encouragement and the accountability that a running-mate provides, I know that giving up too quickly would have been easy.

There were six slopes along the route which were a real challenge. As I got more weary, the legs felt heavy and climbing up the steep slopes became terribly difficult. On many occasions, I contemplated quitting. Yet I did not, inspired in part by my friend who believed I could run the race and would simply not give up on me.

After some time I stopped thinking about the finish line and concentrated on winning small victories. Conquering each slope brought fresh motivation and confidence to forge ahead.

As I reflect on this, I am convinced that if we will not, then we surely cannot. Will is an important ingredient to overcoming our trials in life. Looking towards Jesus who assures us of His presence makes that tumble in life a little easier to take.

How we get to the finish line in our lives matters to God. As we win small victories, we grow in character. Therefore perseveres and dont give up!

The good and bad about jogging at night

It was really fun tonight jogging around Jin's condominium. Lucky for us we stopped at the 6th round. I wouldnt want the walls to collapse like it did in Jericho would I?

So officially I managed to run 3.6 km tonight. The time is pretty dismal, but Jin was a good sport helping to keep me on task. So I am pretty delighted I completed the jog. There's 5 more days to thursday, so I hope to lose a couple of kilo and be trim and ready for the race come thurday. Wishful thinking?

The bad thing about jogging at night is that I am still awake. I think exercise induces insomnia. Dont believe me? I dont care. This is my blog so there! Did I tell you jogging makes me irritable to?

I have half a mind to eat mixed-grain bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner to cut down my weight. But I have a whole mind on eating unceasingly, hence the dilemma. In the area of gastronomy my flesh is really weak. I succumb too easily to delightful pralines and all manner of ice-cream.

Die once only rite? Then live forever. Cool and amen!

What did the black cat say to the white cat?

Didnt seem to amuse Mr Glynn Tan when I shared with him this joke. Considering how wickedly funny this joke is, I have come to the conclusion that Mr Glynn Tan has not a shred of funny bone in his body. Even my devastatingly hilarious account of the bashful yet innocent tomato failed to illicit the faintest of laughter.

So I pulled out the big guns and shared with great relish the exploit of the flying moth and overprotective squirrel. That didnt work either. He looked revolted. I gave up. Not many shared my fine taste in good humour.

I am planning to run the staff race come thursday. It's a good way to keep fit and completing the 3.2 km run before the sun goes down reassures me I am still a long way off from the retirement home. So I want to diet in the the next 5 days to lose some weight, assuming that is carrying less weight would take me further.

Anyone out there want to train with me?

FPS Round 3

I am really encouraged by the teams performance at the FPS Qualifying round in RGS last saturday. I felt that everyone was giving their best and I wanted to thank each one of the boys for putting in the time and effort.

I do hope that both teams would qualify to get into the finals. The theme would be
"Depletion of Oceanic Species"

So I hope that those who read this post would take some time to pray for both teams. The teams consist of

Team 1
Sean Lim
Kenneth Ho
Ian Lim Wei
Daryl Lim

Team 2
Chong Wee
Eric
Harrison
Ted Kin

Both did well. So keep them in prayers!

Glad to be back

I am happy to be back in school,doing what I enjoy most doing. Teach, and hopefully nurture. I always see teaching as a kind of calling, a sort of passion. I do hope I will continue to grow in skill and knowledge to become a better teacher to better serve the needs of my students.

Sometimes I wonder whether they learn much from me. At the very least, I hope that I am not the cause for anyone to turn away from math with much loathing. I would give anything to win a student over and rekindle his interest in this subject.

If you ask me on the kind of student that wins my admiration and respect, I would not hesitate to pen down a few characteristics that top my wishlist:

a) Humble
b) Perseveres
c) Teachable
d) Compassionate
e) Upright and Honest

Notice that intelligent and clever are not there. They are important, but not critical in my opinion compared to a person's character.

I have also realised that being firm when situation requires it has not drawn people apart. Today I am very pleased with the two FPS teams. They have demonstrated that they can work together. Win or lose, I am already proud of them.

All I want to see, when comes to the crunch, is a group of students who demonstrate great courage, overcome their personal differences and work towards a common good. Fight for each other, never against one another.

When the dust settles, all that remains is the realisation that we have achieved what we once thought was impossible.

FPS Matters

I shall depart from my usual blogging to issue a reminder to all FPSers that this program constitutes their ISO requirement. They are required to attend all meetings, failing which I want to know the official reason for their absence. I will NOT hesitate to fail anyone who does not show sufficient commitment in terms of attendance and participation.

For your information, every single FPSer is taking part in the competition on Sat 23rd July and so need to train intensively this week. If I do not see marked improvement in attendance of certain individuals, I will assume that failure in ISO is acceptable to the student.

A detailed report on ISO program for this year is compulsory for ALL FPSers in lieu of ISO project report. I think this requirement is fair given that FPSers have had more flexibility over the past 2 terms.

I am going to treat future absenteeism as TRUANCY AND will ISSUE a demerit point accordingly.

For those who have been absent or not pulling their weight in FPS, please improve or face the consequences. If you were to read this post, and you know of any FPSer who would benefit from reading it, please notify that person to read it asap.

One last thing. Ignorance of training schedule is NO excuse. Refer to Sean for latest updates. Be proactive. I am not here to chase you on what should be your personal responsibility.

Operation Char Kway Teow

Well, my company seargent major (CSM) had a craving for char kway teow at 1.30 am and promptly asked the medic (me that is) to accompany him to get it. So we drove to 10 24-hour kopitiams from Harbour Front, NUS, Clementi, Jurong and Boonlay without much luck. At the end of the 2-hour amazing hunt for the elusive Char Kway Teow, we came back with 20 pratas. Not quite what he had in mind.

Moral of the Story?

None. Sad that I had to lose precious sleep for bits of kway teow. Sigh.

Last few words...

Six more army duties before I am a free man again. Free to wear anything but green camouflage, free to roam beyond the perimeter charmingly decorated with barbed wires, free to celebrate life and free to be different and think different.

I am decidedly not cut out for army life. I cannot see myself spending an eternity waiting for something to happen, and when it does happen, waiting a further eternity for something to be done about it. I will go insane before that happens. Please kill me until I die.

Day out.

Booked out of camp after two days. Arrived home at 4.30 pm, changed into normal attire and drove to school.

I did not really need to be in school to check my emails, but I wanted so much to be in a familiar territory away from the senseless, testosterone-laden life I have been subjected to for the past two days.

Getting away from people who pride themselves in describing genitelia in graphic details in every possible conversation and in every language known to Man is a real bonus and it feels indescribably good.

The day got even better when I spent a quiet evening having dinner with a friend. We had a great time, and I do hope we are able to meet up and get to know each other better.

God answers prayers and all is not lost.

A morbid thought

I see that Kaijun finds my loneliness hilarious enough. Seeing it from my angle, things are simply not quite as cheery.I am going to buy myself a pot of petunia. I love flowers, and I wouldnt mind a bed of petunia on my grave when I am dead and long gone.

But petunia may not take too kindly to our climate and a garden lawn for my weary bones is a little too opulent for my shallow pocket. In all likelihood a single stalk crysenthemum would be all I will get to adorm my solitary niche.

Perhaps I am a little morbid. But death being my ultimate end deserves some thinking over. I dont think I like it very much being six feet under. Neither would I fancy a small niche or a tiny urn.

Do dead people get claustrophobic?

War of the Worlds

This is a very gory movie, with plenty of mayhem and destruction. In restrospect, definitely not the kind of movie I should watch fresh from the clutches of a military institution. But being confined to a surreal world in perpetual slow-motion does give one the urge to flatten everything in sight, so on another level, this movie has been terribly therapeutic.

Coming back to my current army stint. When there was time to do some self-reflection, which occurs every 5 minute more or less, one thought that came to mind was that perhaps there is a gaping hole in my life. I reasoned that as I approach 34, I must therefore be suffering from midlife crisis, assuming of course that I would live up to 68. I can sum up my predicament in these few words:

I am lonely and I need a wife, or failing that, a german shepherd.

When I was busy in school, there was little time to think about who I would like to spend the rest of my life with, or perhaps maybe I was dodging the issue. But I am kind of tired watching movies alone, War of the Worlds as a case in point. Tonight, I was sitting beside a wholesome family with lots of warm family interactions, with the daddy eager to teach his daughter how to pronounce the word "amoeba". Very heart warming.

I have been alone most of my life without even realising it and I am afraid that one day when I wake up, I would find that there will be nothing else worth living for once my career is gone and all that I once held dear disappear like shifting shadows.

Of course getting married presupposes that I have someone in mind to marry, which I dont. Whoever that person shall be, I hope she is reading this post and will not tarry.

I am waiting.

Home at last

After 2 days sleeping in camp, resting on my own bed at home never feel this good. It was hard trying to get to sleep on an unfamiliar bed, sharing with five others in the bunk, but I survived that, and i will survive the remaining 18 days. All for the good of our nation.

The thing I miss most is the internet. I am beginning to think I am addicted to checking email, and embarassingly, chatting on the internet. Now with DoTa, I am adding a new vice to this small list. The buck stops here.

What shall I do with the precious few hours of freedom granted to me? First of all, I want to watch War of the Worlds and tomorrow I will keep my promise to Eric and watch him perform for Youth Sunday. If Kenny and Daryl will be there, it will be a great opportunity to say hello to them too and convey my best wishes.

This army thing is of course a very interesting experience, though I worry much about growing fat with very little to do and plenty to eat. Living together with other men who dont normally cross my path in life is a very unique experiment, albeit excruciating at time. But it teaches humility and patience.

Speaking of patience, I have plenty of training in exercising patience in the army. It is fascinating how things are so slow moving in the army. As Sean has aptly put it, the army now is no different from the army I left 13 years ago. Perhaps only more techno savvy.

I think I will go catch my movie now, and savour the few hours I have left.

2 Days of Army and I miss school already. Sigh..

The thing I really dislike is being kept waiting and this was exactly what i had to put up with for the past two days. On Monday, we had to stay in the camp for 10 hours and we had less than 1 hour of useful activity. I spent most of my time eating. I broke my own record, going for four tea breaks in the span of one hour.

Today was no better. I was drowning my sorrow in curry flavoured twisties, ice-cream and mars bar. The stress of doing absolutely nothing useful is killing me...

Dota Rocks

Hmm was supposed to watch Initial D with Kenny, Eric, Kaijun and Daryl but unfortunately there were no available tickets for the 12.50 pm show. So there I was at Plaza Sing and my hope of watching Initial D was dashed to pieces because someone who shall remain nameless forgot to book the tickets early.

So we had lunch at the foodcourt. I had to participate in a long queue that stretched back to the end of the milky way in order to earn myself a sliver of bbq chicken, bowl of rice and a morsel of scrambled egg.

Left with nothing interesting to do, we proceeded to play LAN games. Now I had never done this before, but was persuaded to try for lack of anything better to do. That's how I got started with Dota. My hero, Tiny the Rock Giant, was murdered several times by Kenny, Daryl and those who seek to take advantage of noobs. I suspected they took pleasure in butchering me since doing that in class is next to impossible.

Of course after 2 hours I got better at it, and though still at the bottom of the heap, managed a decent level 12. Tiny, my little Giant, grew to an impressive size. Well next time I will be better prepared.

After the two hours of DOTA, we walked the entire length of Orchard Road. It was a pleasant day to take a walk. We ended up at Yoshinoya, waiting for the waitress to come and take our orders. She never did so we went up to the counter and ordered.
Beef shreds tasted good with rice and msg laden miso.

Then it was over. I made my way back to school where i parked my car. It was so dark I couldnt see myself.

Batman Begins was Great!

Just want to record how much I enjoyed Batman Begins. I was rather skeptical given that I was not too impressed with the previous instalments but I have to say this episode did not disappoint.

But I really did not see the point for the villain to destroy the entire Gotham city. Given that he spent much of his time in the mountains, how did he amass so much money to mount such an expensive villainous operation?

Of course I enjoyed the car chase scene. Batman's ride was to die for. I probably ditch my little Hyundai Atos and go shopping for one tomorrow. Do you think they sell one at the Pasir Panjang car mart?

Ressurecting the Dead

Let me first qualify why it took me so long to post. My laptop died. It decided to give up the ghost a few days ago, after shutting down several times on its own accord after giving notice of checksum error which did nothing to clarify the problem.

For some reason I was moved to make a backup of all the teaching materials for the last six months, so when the laptop died, thankfully all was not lost. Now I have a laptop with a new hard disk and a fresh operating system. I am praying that this configuration will survive until the end of the year.

While we are on the topic of weight, I am kind of disturbed that I have put on 2 kg, now a total of 72 kg. I am officially obese (sigh) and this makes me kind of upset. You see, all my life I have been rather oversized, and now and then I wish, perhaps, just once in my life, before I kiss this life goodbye, I would fall in the normal weight range.

Being middle-age does not help matter. The body has a mind of its own, opting for the easy way out even though the mind thinks great thoughts of ambitious exercise regime. Lower metabolic rate translates into bigger waistline even with small albeit harmless morsels of cheesecake and belgium chocolate ice-blended.

My life is really very sad.

First day of Army Training

Funny how 13 years away from the army has made one forget those things that made you want to leave it as quickly as you can.

Firstly, the reporting order stated that training would commence at 7 am. Naive that I was, I came at 6.35 am in order to ensure that I was punctual. But training only got underway at 8.45 am. So nothing much has changed since I left. Somehow that was comforting.

We started off quite well with CPR lesson, conducted by three medic instructors who taught with slightly more vigor than a dead salamander. The difficulty level of the theory and practical tests accompanying the nonchalent lessons made me suspect that the army assumed that brain damage sets in upon ORD.

Lunch was surprisingly good, with food served on real plates and with real cutleries. The caterer, the Singapore Food Industries, obviously does a better job at feeding the army than the temperamental cooks of old.

After another two hours delay, we had our infusion training. I teamed up with this big size medic whose veins were hardly visible on his forearm. So I pierced his skin with the venula with great faith which really paid off. With much perspiration and loss of blood, I managed to get the IV drip running.


Overall it was an interesting experience so far. I have two puncture holes on my arms to show for, and I had a great time meeting up with army friends I have not seen in 13 years.

So it wasnt all bad.

The Chronicles of Anglo

Here's a challenge for all of you. Using ONLY these cast list, continue this fictitious story in your blog and see how it grows.

a) Do leave a tag to inform me you have taken over the story so that other people can read your continuation in your blog and

b) copy the cast list and resources to remind people to keep their creativity to these cast members only

Cast
Tim
Ian
Eric
Sean
Christine
Bulimia
Anorexia
Clarence

Long, long ago, on a planet called twotwins, live a knight of the times table called Sir Eric. He has a twin called Sean who for all intent and purposes, looks like him, hence the label twin. They both love Lady Christine, a fair maiden in the employ of Lord Ian the Random.

Now His Randomness has a twin too, Tim the Tenuous, whose wife is Lady Bulimia. But unknowest to Lady Bulimia, Lord Tim was also secretly having an affair with Anorexia, her twin sister.

Now it come to pass that one day Sir Eric was proclaiming his love for Lady Christine in the general office while Lord Ian was away touring his pomelo plantation...........

My fear of toilet bowl

Following Tim's most recent revelation on his fear of scary movies and unpleasant dreams, I thought it would be appropriate to do likewise and share with all of you my fear of toilet bowls. Call it paranoia if you wish, but I dare say everyone is afraid of something so there is probably someone out there who has more ridiculous fears than mine.

Firstly, let me say that it is discomforting sitting on a toilet bowl worrying that a sinister sewer monster may spring up from the deep and grab my rear end. I am sure many of you share the same reservation since you cant probably see what's going on down there while you are happily perched up there.

To a lesser degree, even if there is no chance a supernatural being would snatch you away to its watery lair, there is always that possibility that you may get stuck in the toilet bowl. Then your mom and dad have to call the civil defence force to come prise you from the mercy seat. Think of the embarassment that would cause when newspaper headline the day after reads "Boy stuck in toilet bowl" with your face with all your glory featured prominently on the front page. Talk about being undignified.

A Bouquet

With the IB open house out of the way, I would like to record my appreciation to a few people....

Kaijun
Your math department videoclip was such a big hit, which convinces me that you have a bright future as a short movie director. You have also made a few people overnight sensations.

That act-cute look from Chong Wee was to die for while performances by Arjun, Justin and Kenny were definitely Oscar winning. John and Sean were no less impressive on screen with their straw-modelling efforts. Joash was caught on video looking deep in thought.

Ian Lim Wei
Thank you for going out of your way to get the FPS booklet to me on time. It is now safely in the hands of FPS Australia and I hope to receive the comments soon.

My Godson Kenny
I was told by Kaijun that on the 31st May he made a detour on his way out to Dover just to see me. Wasnt that sweet? It was touching.

Philip
His optimism knows no bound and is just about one of the few people who takes the effort to say hi when he sees me online on MSN.

Eric
I have discreetly informed Ms Seah from the front office about your interest. You may follow up with flowers.

Harrison and Clarence
We'll play peek-a-boo again when we next meet in July.

To All:
Have a good vacation. Let's meet up sometimes and watch the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Reflection on BB

Finally got to meet the legendary Mr Sim who Tim and Fab always talk about. He was most pleasant and I admired how the year 3 BB boys under his charge have turned out. Their level of discipline was most impressive and it was very clear that they worked well together as a team. The archery competition that I watched on Saturday night was hilarious. Didnt know that Bong was so good with the bow and arrow.

My own personal interaction with BB students such as Adriel, Samuel, Tim and Fabriz convinces me that BB is a strong influence in making these students God-fearing and a delight to teach.

Mr Jonathan Ng himself is a very visionary leader who is aware of God's calling for him in this Ministry. The supper fellowship I had with his officer cadets and himself has been an eye-opening experience.

Darryl Lim in a New Light

Well on Monday 23rd I am inviting my FPS team over to my place and cajole them to finish the second future scene writeup. Since I would probably get in their way when they get started, I thought I would cook something nice for everyone to eat.

So after a good rest on sunday afternoon, I decided to go down to Giant supermarket at Parkway Parade. Since there was probably a lot to buy, I furiously sms a couple of eastern dwellers hoping that I could rope in a few for the shopping spree. Unfortunately Eric was still engagged in his fellowshipping acitivity while Ian was in Sentosa building sandcastles. Kenny was of course busy with his Chinese tuition.

Fortunately for me I had Darryl. I caught him while he was at Aljunied MRT and promptly requested his service. So we began our quest for bits of meat, sausages, mushroom and green tea which according to Darryl I would not regret buying. Darryl knew his way around the supermarket and he pushed the trolley like a real pro. Thanks to him I manage to get all the heavy bags to the car.

We spent the remaining part of the evening at a coffee shop at Sims Drive where Darryl lives. He had green tea and for some reason, after the day's exertion I celebrated the start of a public holiday with two cans of coke. I could not help complementing the kopitiam man on how nice the coke tastes.

It's 1 am now and I am still bloated with that coke. Sigh.

Taking stock of life

Yesterday, as I was returning home from church at 9.45 pm, i ran into a traffic jam on the AYE. As it turned out, there had been an accident involving a motorcycle which had just happened. As I passed by the accident area, I witnessed a solitary body lying on the asphalt ground, shrouded by what looked like a black cloth made from the same material as the common thrash bags. Nearby, a few policemen were leaning against their patrol car, probably taking stock of the event that has just happened while waiting for the hearse to come and collect the lifeless body.

It was one thing to know that many die on the road, but it was quite another to be there when a tragedy such as this happened. I imagine that somewhere in Singapore, an elderly mother or a young wife would be striken with grief when the inevitable phone call arrived to deliver the grim news. The repercussions when a life is brought to an abrupt end were beyond my comprehension.

There on the asphalt lay the remains of a human being who, probably a few hours before, had plans for his life and people who depended on him. Now all of that were gone; death has a finality that gave no second chances.

I know neither the hour that death would visit me, nor the manner in which he will. But the grim scene that unfolded before my very eyes brought home the reality that death is no respecter of persons.

Time is a limited commodity that should be well-utilised so that the life that remains would count for something.

Longing for Home

These few days have been really exhausting. It would be nice to get away during the June vacation and rechange the proverbial batteries. It would be good for everyone.

With the end of term in sight, there are so many loose ends to tie. It is exhausting thinking about it, but on a positive note, the term has been exhilirating too. At the start of the year, I was wondering how I would last the first 30 days as a beginning teacher. It has been six months since then and I would have to say that God has been faithful and has been there for me. I am thankful.

Perhaps age is creeping up on me, but I am tired. When the holiday comes, I will go and grow some vegetables. I have this hydroponic kit which I bought some time back from a vege farm. I think it's kangkong. It would be nice to watch something grow right in front of my eyes.

Then I want to move along with my guitar. I wish I have considerable passion that Eric or Paul has for this instrument. Let me see whether I can find the special cloth to wipe the thick layer of dust gathering on my guitar. Maybe that could evolve into a sustained effort to practise and make some music.

Now this blog entry is a mindless ranting which speaks volume of the urgent need to reflect and renew. Sigh.

I have a dream

Share with you this bizarre dream I shared with Fabriz over consultation today. It was so real it was scary....

In my dream, Arjun and Ted Kin were siamese twins and they were actually quite good with their math. I suppose two heads were better than one, no pun intended. They had this bizarre habit though. Every now and then, Ted Kin will hold up a triangle and Arjun will strike it, and then Derek ad Chong Wee will get up and do the tango.

For some reason, Elliot was one of those little fairies similar to what we see in never never land and would help out with chores like pulling down the projector screen, move the OHP in place and makes everyone so ready for lesson with a little puff from his magic dust.

Daryl Lim was busy swallowing a whole chickin when he thought I wasnt looking and Justin and Eliel stole a nap on Joah's tummy which could inflate supernaturally to wipe out all rotiboys in Singapore.

I cant recall much else apart from Ian leaping off his seat in his ballet shoes, which Fab swears he probably has, gracefully unravelling the beauty of mathematics on the whiteboard with Clarence playing his golden harpoon on a fire hydrant. Do we have that in class? Keep them clearly away from Clarence.

Oh yeah, the most scary part is when John actually hand in all his assignments and say he would love more....

Thank God June holiday is coming!

My favourite hymn 1

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story,
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story,
'twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

This is one of my favourite hymns of all time. One day we should all get together and sing it. It's very meaningful.

I am dispensable.

Jehovah Jireh, My Provider,
His Grace is sufficient for me

Yesterday I felt like a lump of jelly with my bones fused together at the joints. Every movement was terribly difficult and I had to drag myself to wherever I wish to go. The fever did not help matter. The heat within, it seemed, refused to be quenched with a generous helping of paracetamols.

But that was yesterday. Today, after many hours of continuous slumber and pletora of drugs, I am on the mend. I want to give thanks to God for the speedy recovery. Nevertheless I asked God why this should happen, considering that common test is around the corner and time in school is precious for revision and consultations.

The answer came. I am not indispensable.

I guess that I have been worrying too much about how the students are going to do for their test. Being forced to remain in bed reminded me that God is the one who is really in control. With or without me, He is able to take care of each and every one of the students. I need not worry unnecessarily.God is omnipotent, and He doesnt catch a flu.

Interesting Questions for the day

I was invited to my guitar class friend to his house for lunch today. He is only 14 by the way. His mom invited two other couples who are their friends from church. Here are some of the stuff I thought was amusing...

Question 1
A guest asks my 14-year old friend, referring to me
"Is this your classmate?"

Question 2
Right after I shared that I was Singaporean....
"You are very dark, you must be an indonesian or from Thailand?"

Question 3
When they found out I am Malay and Christian..... need I answer this?
"Are your parents upset that you are a Christian?

Questin 4
Right after I explained that I was teaching at ACSI in the IP program
"IC. So you are teaching the International BacaCLORET. It's a certificate from France now popular in Canada..."

Question 5
While I was on the way out of the condominium side-gate, someone wanted to get in..
"Is this the door?"

Favourite lunch over-the-table conversation topics
Roach infestation and tips on how to find their nest

Kill lizards using double-sided tape

Lizards, cockroaches and ants are part of the household ecosystem... so dont kill lizards who eat flies.

A 4-year old thinking like an 8 year old has IQ of 200

You can grow taller by running because your joints become looser

A word of encouragement

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10


I posted this entry to encourage all my students, especially those who may feel a little discouraged with how they are getting on these few days leading to the common test. I am reminded that all we really need is God's Grace to get us through the time of difficulty.

You are never alone if you have Christ in your life.

On a lighter note, I discovered intriguing trivia during my consultation fellowship this evening.

I found out that Ding is actually Philip who looks like Ding. Frankly i cannot tell the difference between two smurfs.

Edward may take up Aikido to fend off oversized Brits with undersized brains who pick on puny Asians.

Ding and Fab traded their school shorts as a sign of their mutual affection, allegedly. I do hope they stop at that.

I also learned that David Chan is a Tae-Kwan-Do exponent who holds a brown-black belt. It seems being black is better than brown where this is concerned.

Wee loong cannot fit in the boot of my car and Gerald and Jin are better at log today than they were yesterday.

I am in labour!

With the common test just around the corner, I begin to empathize with expecting mothers wherever they may be.

Our predicament is fairly similar. After two terms of sowing, I am anxious to see the delivery of 81 different results. I would wish that each will carry a testimony of success, but as any experienced mom will tell you, the route to giving birth is not without its risks.

Prenatal scanning may show defects in the baby perhaps. Or in my case, a review of concepts showed serious flaws that pointed towards early miscarriage. My heart floundered for a little while, worried sick that the labour of love and time is a labour lost.

The prospect of tragedy two weeks before delivery led me to some serious soul searching. Has my confidence blinded me from the tell-tale signs of imminent failure? Or perhaps the cool exterior of a growing foetus belies a deeper problem I have so miserably failed to detect?

But the Lord is sovereign.
He will deliver.

Flashback 3: Life at age 18

Just got my A level result. A short-lived euphoria was closely replaced by a sense of loss and depression. Strange?

Let me explain. Prior to age 18, school was essentially very predictable. Primary, then secondary and JC, well, everything was a given. No surprise there. But after the A level, I was not so sure. Thus began a period of soul searching, made more desperate by the mundane, almost brain draining, foot dragging time in any man's life: National Service.

For a man whose life is well planned, uncertainty was a killer tsunami. It hit you, and left you feeling helpless, tossed around and eventually drowned. Not knowing what may come next was more excruciating than waiting on death row, or queuing for the firing squad.

Surprisingly, NS came to my rescue. It provided some sense of regularity and predictability which lasted two and a half years. I gladly surrendered my intellectual independence in exchange for mindless, often repetitive routines. Sometimes it could be good not to have to do much thinking.

I had a two and a half years thinking holiday.

Pray for strength!

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40-31
NKJV

The bible verse above sums up my predicament. I have been busy with the daily demands on my time that I have forgotten the most important thing that is needed; to rest upon the Lord. Like Martha, I have been busy serving on my own strength that I have lost sight of the One I am serving. Now I am drained and weary, the exact opposite of what is promised by God in Isaiah.

I realise that many of my students feel that same lethargy, for one reason on another. The demands of life are lurking in the shadows, ever ready to steal away the joy we have in Jesus. I would like to encourage my students facing similar trials to cast their cares on Christ.

If you are reading this post, take a little time to pray with me this prayer.

Lord, remove all stumbling block that keep us apart from You. Watch over us here in ACSI. Refine us so that we may grow in the likeness of Christ your Son.

Take hold of our lives, and we invite you to reign over us. Give us your love, your strength, and your joy, and walk with us so that our lives' circumstances shall neither overwhelm nor make us lose sight of you.

Lord we pray for our brothers (and sisters) who are finding life a struggle at this time. May You reach out to them with your healing and your comfort. Let them know You are present and is ever faithful. With your guidance they will overcome.

We would also like to remember those we know who have not discovered the joy of knowing You. We pray for your mercies upon them, and that you would grant them the same Gift of Salvation that you have graciously bestowed upon us.


In Jesus' name we ask and pray.
Amen.

Is Sir cute?

When I was young, I cared little about looking undignified. Here is a photo I took with my little sister when my family had a day out on the beach. In those days I was in no eminent danger of drowning, fully inflatable with baby fat that would make Joash turn green with envy.

I always looked forward to these special picnics. My dad would rent a pickup truck and packed all of us to the beach, our favourite haunt. The entire clan would congregate on a sandy patch next to the sea, meticulously covered with raffia mat or old newspapers. This piece of prime real estate would be ours for the duration of the day.

My mom would whip out her mean mee siam which would be the only reason I would tear myself away from the water and make amphibious landing onto dry land. I coveted the sea and I adored being tossed about by the unceasing waves. Never mind the debri, or the pungent, putrid smell of decay washed to the sea. What mattered to me was that I loved the sea, and the sea loved me.

On the question that Tim asked, on my assertion of my own cuteness, I would leave it to him to be the judge. I would let this photo speak in my defense. If I had not learnt to live with myself and laughed at the silly things I have done, I would have killed myself until I die for simply posting this up.



Or perhaps my sister would kill me?

Kenny, you were not the only one...

I suppose I had no right to tease Kenny. Going through the old photographs, I found out, to my consternation, I have been guilty of navel grazing. Here is the evidence of my guilt.

Congratulations to our OM teams

Congratulations are in order for Daniel, JLow and Jin for their outstanding performance at OM today. They did the school proud and I am happy for them that their labour has paid off.

I observed them seconds before they champion team was announced and there was so much tension and excitement. There they were, with heads bowed low, not daring to look up, with hands linked together perhaps in earnest prayer.

The moment of truth came and the paralysing tension gave way to rapturous jubilation when the school name was called out. The team dashed out unabashedly to claim the prize they have rightly earned.

Success through sacrifices taste o so sweet.

The problem with many hats

There are days when I wish I could run off to some nudist colony and tell them all to put on some clothes. This is one of those days. Anywhere but here.

The feeling of being caught in between is very unsettling. It is impossible to satisfy competing interests at once. Two hats look ridiculous on the same head. The thing left to do is to champion what is right, but then again so many hats can be right at the same time. What can one do?

I looked up to heaven hoping for a divine answer, but all I saw was a solitary mosquito looking rather lost. I looked to my left, and was aghast with Kenny displaying his navel. I opened the right door and I saw Eric's head in close proximity of my own, crying out "Hi Sir!" that almost dislodged my already frail heart. Allegedly, the good people of Timbaktu heard and were wondering who this "Sir" was.

I did my best, I had no regret.
Leave the rest to God.
Let the day pass.
Lovely sunset.

Getting to know Zephy

It must be by divine appointment that I met Zephy at the SAC this afternoon, looking rather lost and wondering how he was going to make his way to the rugby match. Since Tim has abandoned me, stricken by an illness that comes once every rugby final, I thought it would be a good idea to help Zephy out.

So it came to pass that Zephy and I set out on our journey to the rugby match. On our way, we stopped by the neighbourhood clinic to listen to the doctor tell me what I already knew about my sickness. For that earth-shattering advice, I parted with S$38.00 after a 5 minute consultation. Now, not only am I sick, I am also poorer.

Not convinced that western medicine would do the job, or perhaps not satisfied with poorer until I get to poorest, I purchased from a wily old woman 3 packets of herbal remedies. It seems to me, that everytime I buy herbs from her, the prices keep going up. It is really hard to distinguish genuine concern from crass profiteering. But what do I know? 2000 years of ancient chinese wisdom cant be wrong, can it?

All this while Zephy has faithfully been by my side. I got to know him a little better and we celebrated our newfound friendship by shopping at the nearest NTUC. I bought potato chips for my beloved scouts to while away the hours. Too bad the healthy-looking David Chan would not partake of this sumptuous offering, as he was officially sick with MC.

I met Eric and gang at the game, confiscated a Warcraft manual and had potato chip fellowship with the scouts. Some idiotic Saints were seen trying to pick a fight with a few of our boys. I would have stepped in between them. Quite confident I could fend them off, with two sessions of Aikido lessons under my belt. Maybe not, but what the heck. The fight didnt materialise. So I would never know.

I love being a teacher. Life doesnt get any better than this.

Flashback 2: Life at age 13

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be rejoice in God my Saviour.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.

Habbakuk 3:17-19


My dad was fat, to a lesser degree now, but he certainly carried his potbelly with pride as though the size of one's waist is directly proportional to how well to do one is in life. It did not trouble him much not knowing whether his shoe laces were untied, and on occasion, would slap his tummy with great satisfaction knowing that the deep tremors unleashed would overshadow similar efforts of lesser men.

I did not share his sentiment, though I did inherit the same gene that makes the blowfish blush. Cute is a label I loved to loathe. Cute was a reference to an oversized teenager buying clothes 4 sizes larger. Cute was a pronunciation of unending suffering by well-meaning, cheek-pinching aunties. Cute was the word of choice for teachers striving for political correctness.

In school, cute did nothing for me, literally. Cute meant rejection and loneliness. Cute meant being chosen last, albeit begrudgingly, whenever it was time for pairing up for PE. Cuteness provided a convenient and available avenue for those more physically strong to vent their frustration on. Cute meant failure in every aspect of physical life. Lastly cute forced me to endure unceasing redicule from those who built their self-esteem on the ashes of others.

Flashback 1: Life at age 6

My short stint in the broom brought back faint memories of my childhood which I thought I lost. Perhaps it was the enclosed space, or the familiar smell of timber, but whatever the reason, faint idyllic pictures of days gone by began to emerge and I was no longer the old man of 33 that I am now, but an innocent little kid of six just starting out in life.

I recalled with fondness my favourite haunt, the little space beneath the sink in the kitchen. Looking out through the eyes of a six-year old, the world was simply too big and scary, so I found refuge in my own space, a little place I went to whenever I needed to be alone.

As a child I never did crawl or speak much. When it was time to walk, I simply stood up. I recalled, with a chuckle, what my mom's relatives used to say about me. They were sympathethic towards my mom, thinking that I was handicapped in some way from the peculiar manner I was growing up. Even years later, a distant relative was heard asking my mom how her crippled son was doing in school, thinking perhaps that I have been enrolled in a special school. My mom was indignant, but I thought that was pretty hilarious.

Life without the trappings of modern living was never inadequate. I recalled faces of people I have met, uncles and aunts, some of whom are long gone. People were people then, not some faceless voices at the end of a telephone line.

I recalled my own school life, the faces of teachers that shaped me with words that hurt. When I was 12, a teacher mocked me after tearing up my work to tiny pieces. She declared that I was "too clever" and would never amount to much. Sarcasm cuts deeper than any physical knife could. Was it necessary for an adult to unleash such torment on a twelve-year old? Inspite of her, or maybe to spite her, I redoubled efforts and exceeded expectations at the PSLE. Well, the rest is history.

Looking back, I have been guilty at times of brushing aside genuine concerns for lack of time, or sleep for that matter. Being on this side of the window, I have learnt to forgive and be content that teachers are human too.

A little here and there...

OK Eric has a perfectly legitimate reason for keeping that old guitar in the broom closet. So I was wrong. Like everyone else who has got it wrong, the right thing to do is to apologise. So here it goes.

Eric, I am truly sorry for maligning you and misunderstanding your virtuous and good intentions. Thank you for keeping my inferior guitar safe in the broom closet. You are truly a saint.

As for Ian, there is nothing to fear. You can make up for the lacklustre delivery schedule by showing us where this much touted laksa is sold, so that I could savour it and pronounce judgement on its quality.

Eric, an old guitar and the broom closet.

It is not always that an insane person is able to recognise his insanity but then again I am no ordinary insane person. I am surrounded by 27 others categorically more insane then I am so from that perspective I am sufficiently sound to make a measured appraisal on my own insanity.

It is also not uncommon for insane people to be predisposed towards verbosity without actually saying anything of value. So do pardon me for this lengthy monologue which probably will not amount to much, though I will, begrudgingly and on pains of death, at your behest reduce my sentences to more manageable lengths than what they otherwise have been, if I were a certifiable, raving lunatic.

Having established some measure of sanity sufficient to establish my own defence, let me first outline the manner in which I have become afflicted with this mental malady. But before that, let me point out that a mentally challenged person has the propensity to ramble so be warned.

Now you may be wondering what Eric, an old guitar and the broom closet have in common. What has a vertically challenged, obnoxious teenager got to do with an old guitar and a broom closet you may ask? Who cares about an old guitar, a distant second compared to a glitzy new toy Eric has recently acquried?

Or what about the broom closet you may ask?

Why, the broom closet is the very place Eric left that old guitar now reduced in stature and banished at the drop of a hat, or in Eric's case, at the arrival of a new playmate. Not that Eric cares now that his fingers are busy caressing the strings of his new love interest. Such unfaithfulness would make even Prince Charles blush.

I must make it a point to have Eric over for lunch soon. I am sure a bony teenager would make a great entree. I am sure that would go down well with pomelos, which i would get a delivery of any day now. Maybe pigs can ski.

But that old guitar did not wait long for company. Now I am proud to declare that I am one of the lucky few who need not wonder what the inside of a broom closet looks like. So many people to thank for such an exclusive privelege. Many more lunches to prepare. Bon Appetit!

Life in a Clay Pot

It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. "

2 Corinthians 4:6-7
The Message

It was puzzling when my dear class laughed with such glee when I told them that life is like a claypot. But I did not say that in jest, and here is a bible reference that points to the source of my little analogy.

As Christians we carry the light of Christ in us. Like what Paul said in the verse above, our physical bodies are insignificant when compared to the message of salvation in Christ that we carry in us. Let it be that people who see us see the power of God who lives in us, not lifting up the earthen vessels of our lives above the maker who shapes us all.

It is paradoxical that unadorned clay pots are the very things that God uses to reflect His Glory, but then again, our God is well known for using the common things of this world for His own Glory.

Are we ready to be molded by Him, used for His purpose, and strengthened in the cauldron of trials and temptations and emerge worthy vessels for the most High God?

Fibonacci

Here is the poem entitled Fibonacci, author unknown.

There once was a young lad from Pisa,
Whose sequence of numbers would please ya.
He had a strange habit
Of watching the rabbits;
"Their numbers are nothing to sneeze at!"

This sequence we'll frequently see,
On the piano - the black or white key,
With daisies and pinecones,
And the Nautilus' shell-home,
And the male honey bee's family tree.

So what makes his sequence so great?
His terms we must now calculate:
We start with two ones,
Then, find their sum,
And go: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8!

So Fibonacci, your sequence continues
To turn up in all sorts of venues.
No cause for concern,
But consecutive terms
Give a ratio that's Golden, 1.62!

Unknown Author

Thank God it's Friday

Of course I thank God for any day of the week, but I thought today deserves special mention. It has been a long day, beginning with the colloquium and ending with an excruciating long trek in the Macritchie Forest.

Not that I am complaining. The 8-minute speech ended months of speculation on what sort of exotic animal a colloquium is. My performance anxiety, tied with the fear of making a fool of myself in front of many discerning pairs of eyes, or rendering some other pairs of eyes shut with aimless, droning discourse, dissipated with the end of the speech.

I would not have got through it without the tender encouragement of many of my students, who believe in me when I would not. Such is the state of my own self deprecation that I should prescribe myself the same penalty which I exacted on my students.

When the jubilation ebbed away, it was time for a relaxing tree top walk with my beloved scouts. Due to my lack of insight and the popcicle charm of our bus driver, we landed at the site some 6 km away from our destination. The arduous trek in the forest thus began, with 44 less than enthusiastic teenagers in tow, all wondering why their maids are less satisfactory substitutes for their personal attendance. As the walk grew dreary, the discourse turned to the merits of turning back, and failing to convince me, I feared the prospect of being lynched by a mob of dissatisfied 14 year olds.

But the Lord delivered my from the clutches of angry scouts. The angels came in the form of taxi drivers ferrying us back to civilisation. Lest I thought my misery has ended, my celebration pizza came 2 hours late, unilaterally turning dinner into supper.

It has been a calamitous April day, and my joy is to see it over.

The Test by Kevin Ng

This is a beautiful poem written by Kevin Ng. It is a gift from Kevin and I am thankful that he has permited me to share it with all. Reading it has brought cheer to an otherwise colourless week. I hope that you would enjoy its beauty as much as I did.


The Test.


The student stares at the ticking clock,
His face long and drawn,
He cannot overcome this mental block,
His mind conjures up a result sheet torn.

He stares blankly at the approaching day,
Regretting his foolish deeds,
Knowing finally the price to pay,
Of being in this creed.

The test draws ever near,
The numbers still seem ever blur,
He cannot help but fear,
The final day when the results appear.

He thinks all is lost,
He believes that he will fail,
He knows that he has lost this toss,
And watches his hope set sail.

But at his table, he is suddenly awakened,
By a refreshing draught of cool air,
He looks up and sees,
Who else but his teacher there.

The teacher sits down beside him then,
And explains the numbers the way thats right,
He tries the questions and thats when,
He realises that he's seen the light.

After the test, its results time,
Its the results, and many sigh,
He takes one look at his marks,
And tears flow freely from his eyes.

He walks up to his teacher then and there,
Clutching his paper to his chest,
And thanks his teacher for being fair,
And knows that this teacher's best.

Kevin Ng
Sunday March 27, 2005