A Tribute to Someone I Never Knew But Whose Passing Taught Me Something

Life is...

...wonderful

When the people you love and care for

Reciprocate without expecting anything in return;

When the things you do for others

Are appreciated and celebrated;

When you walk around and notice

All things beautiful.

Life is tragic

When you do not know how to love

Or are not even aware that you have not loved;

When no epitaph is written

In sweet memory of you;

When you fade into non-existence

And vanish like magic.

Life is full of anticipation

When you wake up with a purpose

And you go to sleep feeling accomplished;

When things do not go the way they should

But you smile and make the best of the situation.

Life is now

As you realise the fragility,

And cherish whatever you have;

As you open your eyes and see

How much you can be.

What do you hope to achieve

In your life as Father Time capers?

He does not wait

As you wither and waver.

Life is now.

One Moment in Time

It was a very heartwarming night in the history of SST (15 days, haha!) on 15 Jan 2010.

Going into classes 1-04 and 1-07 to listen to the students talking to their parents about what they have all gone through during the orientation programme made me realise the past 15 days had been very busy but (I hope) meaningful for them. Seeing them suddenly that much more mature warmed me and I can only imagine just how proud their parents must have been.

The cameras clicking non-stop in the hall, video-cameras capturing the proceedings, the procession as the students came down from the front of the hall (I missed that by the way!), the emcees and student representative, the singing of the batch song - priceless.

I sincerely wish these young ladies and gentlemen an exciting and fruitful journey ahead.

Go forth, Cohort of 2010!

The class I teach

It's been a few days since I went into 1-07 and gradually I am getting to know them.

To be honest, they are a bunch of nice kids, not rude, many needing to develop themselves in terms of decorum, but generally linguistically good.

It is also interesting that I am teaching them Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) and I sometimes wonder if they get confused over the double identities I hold when I stand in front of them. Do they see me as their language teacher or do they see me as their I&E teacher?

I suppose I would like them to see me as who I am, a teacher, and that depending on the types of lessons we have in class, to open their ears and eyes (and I hope minds) to learn whatever they can.

I must confess (and I have already told them so, in not such a cuddly way) that I am also walking the journey of discovery with them. It is really tiring walking by yourself and I am glad I have my family to walk alongside with me. Now the question is: Will they walk with me? How can I get them to walk with me?

I suppose time will tell...

S1-07 Assignment 12 January 2010

Dear S1-07

This is your assignment :) Please submit it by 13 January 2010 5.00pm by email.

Taking stock of my emotions

It is amazing how time flies. It is already coming to the end of Week 1 in the history of SST and my goodness, the feelings I have been experiencing these few days were just tumultuous!

Uncertainty: Will I be able to engage the students fully? Will I be able to help them enjoy SST? Will I be able to cope with the expectations I have for myself?

Weariness: The amount of walking and running around I have done these four days really made me realise just how unfit I have become. Naturally my muscles ache from the strains of the day and every night, my eyelids droop involuntarily.

Sadness: It was with wonderment I know I was to be the assistant form teacher for S1-04 as I thought I would be looking after S1-07, the class I am going to teach. But after these 4 days with the class, I realised the time I had with them allowed me to know their little quirks (yes, some of them are!) and I actually wouldn't mind teaching them. I had a good time with them and the sadness I felt came after I was making my way home after the night hike.

Eagerness: I anticipate the good work that the teachers would be coming up with and look forward to this journey with them.

Google Maps (II) Some Places I Visited

View Places I have been to in Singapore during the December break in 2009 in a larger map

Google Maps (I) From one of my favourite haunts to SST...

View Larger Map

This is the map I have generated using Google Maps. It shows the public transport I could take from Tampines Mall to SST.

I could also generate the distance to travel on foot (by walking) or even the route to take if I drive (and it provides going by PIE or AJE)! Impressive.

If I click on the location, I could also look at an image of the traffic condition.

Richard's Expectation for 2010

It is really exciting to email a video attachment to your blog!

So simple!

My Experience in Creating This Blog

Blogging is not new to me, but I am not a very regular blogger. I blame it on my genetic and electronic make-up. But when I blog, I enjoy the experience because it does help me to think and reflect on what has taken place in my life. It is a good way to be introspective and retrospective.

2010 Journey Begins...

Image taken from stock.xchng #1136595 on 2 Jan 2010

...way way back in 2008 when I knew my application to be seconded to SST was accepted.

It was an amazing feeling, because the call for applications came at the point in time when we were considering about our future (should we stay in MOEHQ or should we start looking for a school?). When I read about what the school was all about, the idea of starting a new school of that nature from scratch compelled me to apply!

Imagine when I was called to go for a focus group discussion. Imagine when I was called to go for an interview. Imagine when I knew I was offered a place in the school. Have a look at the image I have attached to have an idea :)