So far...

it's been 5 days already and thankfully i haven't bash anyone up yet. so far my cold "mess with me again and your so gonna get screw" stare is still working. the sec 3s are hell of a bunch to teach, it's already a miracle if they actually bring their book needless to say read it. i gave them worksheet to do and all i see are 4 varying answers out of 40 students which i must say makes marking a lot easier. i seriously took over at a very bad timing, term 1 is coming to an end and i have to start keying in my class results into the school system, the only problem is, i don't have their results yet and i have to key all their subjects in by next tuesday not forgetting i still have meetings to attend to 'discuss' on how to better teach the sec 2s and since i am a form teacher i must join in.

That's not the worse, i have to follow my class to pasir ris park this saturday to pick up litter!!! they are clocking CIP hours at the expense of my sleep. bah... all the other relief teachers are just shaking legs in class, chit-chatting with each other and waiting to go home once they done their 5.5h of 'work'. why me... why...... shag......

Day 2...

I officially took over all my classes yesterday. As a form teacher i had to go extra early to stand with my class for assembly and also to make sure they keep quiet which i must stress is an uphill task. Coincidentally, i have 2 periods of math lesson with my form class after assembly so i took that time to get to know them better. the night before i was praying frantically that they would be easier to handle than the classes i went to the day before and thank God so so much that my current classes which includes one sec 1, two sec 2 and 1 sec 3NA are a lot more well behaved. its not easy to take over classes especially if their previous teacher happened to be very nice to them. its a challenge to make them like me and i hope that they will grow to like me more and more eventually. i think i'm doing a pretty decent job, coz when i was going home on friday, i met this group of girls from my form class outside and they screamed and waved bye bye to me. handling the sec 3 is a lot more difficult compared to the lower sec. to make things worse, i am teaching them english and english is one of the hardest subject to teach if your students don't cooperate. they are a big problem to me and i'm wrecking my brain to think of something that would make teaching them easier. they are doing some reading program thingy and i'm supposed to help them understand the book, which is " tuesday with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. its a sort of a cross over of literature and english, the problem is these students don't even bring their book and they talk and disturb each other non stop! please please pray pray for me that i am able to have smoother english lessons with them. however i am very thankful for the help given to me by the math and english HOD. initially i didn't even know they were HODs until i asked some other relief teachers. i especially like the math HOD, she gives me advices and helps me a lot. without her i'd be hopelessly lost. now i have to get back to my "tuesday with morrie" and i only have one more day to finish it and not forgetting i still have some stacks of homework to mark, lesson to prepare and all have to be done by tomorrow. What did i get myself into......

Relief teaching...

it all happened so fast everything is still so blur. one moment i was happily sleeping in bed and the next i was in greenview secondary school. i got a call this morning, " hello is this aaron? can u come to school by 7.30am we need u to relief teach for a teacher." now how did i end up relief teaching is quite a blessing, flashback to 2 days ago, i was at ka's place enjoying the new year and the usual topic of "so what u gonna do now or in the near future?" arose while i was having breakfast with ka and his mom. i mentioned a few things i had in mind and teaching was one of my consideration. his mom was quite excited when she heard i wanna teach and immediately told her brother who is a teacher in greenview sec about me wanting to get a relief teaching job. then she got her brother excited and both of them were in a flurry to get me to teach. all this while i was an insignificant entertity, i only said i'm thinking of teaching just thinking only! anyway he got his daughter joanne to sign up with moe for me like immediately, i couldnt even protest. then ka's uncle/aunty's bro/joanne's dad told me ok u start on thursday, you'll be taking over joanne's class and her lessons, she is going back to australia to study.

ok back to present time, when i arrived at greenview, i was told i'm relief teaching math class for this particular teacher who is on mc. they pass me the time table and my jaw dropped, sec 2, sec 4 and sec 5 normal technical class!!! siao liao siao liao... HELLO! i'm like first time relief teaching empahsis on RELIEF! i cant even teach my own sister her sec 4 math u wan me teach a whole class of sec 4 and 5!!! i thought i was gonna die teaching sec 5 but it turns out that the sec 2 NT was the worst!!!! i have no idea why these kids come to school for, nv bring book, nv do homework, they don't even understand how to sit and keep quiet needless say learn math. hmmm i have to stop my colourful description here b4 i get sued for racist comments. thank God i'm only teaching them for today, i'm taking over joanne's class tomorrow and praying praying that they are more well behave. just don't ever let me see those Ms outside or i'll enjoy tearing them from limb to limb. muwahahaha...

so here i thought, wow $65 a day for 5.5h of work is not bad at all, little did i expect the workload joanne dumped on me and i realized i'm also the form teacher for a sec 2 class. HELLO i'm a relief teacher and getting 65 bucks only! emphasis on RELIEF and 65 BUCKS again! i thought i could go home after the last lesson but in the end i end up invigilating the sec 5 for their test and then staying till 4+ to do some lesson planning and stuff. i actually brought home work to mark and i still have to plan for tomorrow's lesson. What the hell did i get myself into... look at the time, i still got so much to do... bahhumba.....

Cheers to firefox...

hooray! my computer can finally load the create a new post page and i'm finally blogging on my comp again, all thanks to firefox. i've been having various problems with my internet explorer (I.E) recently and several websites are not loading properly at all. so i finally decided to try out firefox and everything is loading just fine. i'm quite glad. haha...

i went to highlight my hair today. so while waiting for the colour to set in i had a fun time chatting with the hairstylist. i found out that one of the aunty working in the salon is actually taking part in "the dance floor". she is dancing with her husband and they are call the sunny dancers. no wonder i found her so familiar on tv, i was telling my mom isn't that the aunty that always cut my hair but she didn't believe me, at least now i have prove. anyway, i highlighted my hair coppery red, it looked quite nice in the salon but when i got out into the sun it became orange or at least that's what my sis said. then sis said it became brown in tampines mall and sometimes become red again. now that's what i call value for money. haha...

Boredom is scary...

finally i can stay home and rest after standing for more than 12h the past 3 days. i swear i will never give out flyers as a job again! its super duper ultra boring. thank goodness yao long was with me or i might start talking to myself. but it was a good experience overall, it wasn't a first time doing road show and exhibition for me but it was surely a first time just handing out flyers for the entire day. on the first day, we went around asking other part-timers how much they were getting paid and was quite satisfied we got the highest among them. it was so boring just handing out flyers that both yao long and me applied what we learnt in army to good use. we throw smoke and twang. honestly without these valuable skills acquired from the army, we would have died from boredom. i shall not elaborate how we twang, it’s a secret. i kind of had some fun yesterday since it was the last day and what could go wrong, so i went around disturbing the kids who were playing games like maplestory, audition me, etc at the asiasoft booth. i was amaze at the amount of crap i can conjure, even yao long was laughing away at one corner just by watching me. the people at asiasoft were giving out ang baos and they had A LOT to give away, and it was last day already so i went to help them give out also. i gave 1 pack of ang bao together with about 10 pieces of my flyers, never cleared my flyers so fast before. one asiasoft girl gave me a whole box of ang baos and some posters so come find me if u need empty ang bao packets. yao long and me then went to talk to the supervisor of asiasoft asking if they got jobs for us and he told us send in our resume so i must start digging for my resume, can't rmb where i put it.

Valentine's day is just round the corner, love is in the air and pink is still so beautiful. seriously i must start charging people for my cheesecake recipe and how to bake it. 3 of my friends have already come and find me for the recipe and ask me go with them to buy the ingredients. wan make cheesecake for girlfriend on vday but got no baking tin, no mixer, no gelatine! cheesecake baking lesson for guys and girls who want to give that special gift of love to your significant other, sign up now and i'll even throw in my kitchen and all my baking stuff for u to use. *terms and conditions applied*

Pisssss...

Argh!! i got bitten by the piss off bug! i'm very happy this week coz i got back my pink ic and finally ORD but i'm getting pissed at the slightest thing! i have no idea why! play game also pissed, go out also pissed, i even got pissed off with a taxi driver yesterday. his attitude was extraordinary rude and i just shoot him back at whatever he said. i am so evil sometimes, nooooooooooo must..... not......... give......... in............ be gone make me say evil things devil!!! you shall not triumph in this heart where God exists you will flee in Jesus’ name and never return!

oh yao long got a 3 day job for me this weekend, we'll be giving out flyers for singtel at vivocity atrium B. its $6.50 per hour just for giving out flyers, i guess its pretty reasonable.

And so it ends...

Finally, finally. i finished serving my national service and got back my beloved pink IC. 6th February 2007, this day marks the end of another chapter of my life. i am free from the clutches of SAF, no longer subjected to the slavery and torture of being an NSF, i am free! alright i have been pretty free for the last month already but its today that i am truly fully free and i am a civilian once again. before i close the door to this chapter of my life, i stand looking through it and ponder, replaying scenes in my mind, some were good and some were dark. i wasn't the best person, i did many things that no one should ever know, these things that i shall keep hidden in the ravines of my mind and pray that it never surface again. on the other hand, there has been a lot of learning experiences through out the past 2 years, i picked up many valuable life skills and PR skills as well. i dare say it is not a wasted 2 years, i know i will get stone for saying this but having to do national service is a good thing and i hope that it will stay compulsory and don't escape from it. As i appreciate the moment of closing the door, let me recount the top 5 best moments of my army life and at number 5 we have...

5th. All my meals that i had with zhang wei. he was the only one good friend i made in my army life, i met him in my basic medic course, we got posted to the same unit, attended same spec course and given same appointments. i will always remember breakfast at canteen with him, then maybe lunch and we would always go later for dinner so there was no queue and we can also ask for more food. we would complain to each other about how horrible army is. he ord about 10 months before me coz he was a year older and after that i was always alone for most of my meals.

at number 4, it would be eating fresh ration on rest day of my 7 days field camp when i was in BMT. i never knew how amazing fresh hot food tasted until that day. shoving every spoon of food into my mouth, feeling the warm food swirling down into my stomach was the most magical feeling ever. having to eat combat rations for the other 6 days was no joke, it really really made me appreciate cooked fresh food.

and of course at number 3 how can i not mention my hospital and ambulance attachment. it was the best week of my army life. for more info, you can refer to my previous entry.

and at second place, and very well deserving i must add, will be a hot bath in the midst of field camp! i must elaborate on this, many of us do not know how precious a bath can be, even more a warm one. this very very memorable incident happened when i was already a medic spec and i was covering my company for its 5 day outfield training. after running around in the rain saving people and getting really really dirty the previous day, i got a casualty at night on the 3rd day and i had to send him to the medical centre, while waiting at the medical centre, i took the opportunity to go get a bath and i borrowed some toiletries from the duty medic. i was already very happy that i can actually get to bathe. even though it was freezing in the medical centre, i had to get a bath to clean myself up no matter how freaking cold it was. mind you, taking a cold shower in a freezing cold air con room is painful. but when i hit the shower and braced myself for the barrage of cold water, none came. instead warm water flow onto my skin, the feeling was orgasmic, simply heavenly. i almost cried out to God grateful of his mercy on me.

and of course at number 1, it would definitely have to be collecting my pink IC today. seeing it again after 2 years is like meeting a long lost lover. i embraced it like there was no tomorrow and i can't stop smiling thereafter.

i seem to be happy at such small stuff... haha.. maybe i'm very easily satisfied and contented. these are the things that mean a lot to me and will always put a smile to my face whenever i think about them. =)

What a melon!

hahahaha... hahahaha... finally... laugh at myself, hahahaha... ok enough. i went to ka's bro birthday party yesterday and as usual i bought him a yellow watermelon. now this is a very special watermelon, very different from those i bought in the past years simply because it tried to run away. here begins the story of the runaway watermelon. with my watermelon in a plastic bag, i boarded the mrt but there were no seats, so i stood at a corner. when the train reached semei station, these 2 blind people boarded the train. they were having some difficulty moving around and thankfully people were kind enough to offer their seats to them, since i was standing very near them, i put my watermelon on the floor and help them to their seats. then suddenly, out of the corner of my eye i saw a spinning green ball, upon closer inspection, i realized it was a watermelon, not any watermelon but mine! apparently while i was distracted with helping people, it took the opportunity to wiggle out of its plastic bag and started rolling away! i stood frozen for a second before my brain actually started working, should i run after it? should i let it escape? no way am i gonna let $2.50 run away like that, don't care what people think, i immediately squat down, sighted the plastic bag and the watermelon not far away, i carefully calculated the distance between them, the time needed to grab the bag, to pounce on my watermelon and subdue it. the plastic bag was under the seats so i had to bend really low to reach for it, a little more, just 1cm to it, but it was snatched away before my very eyes. i stood up to see who could've taken it and saw this old man with his years of kung fu training gracefully scooped up my watermelon and securing the plastic bag so it won't escape again. he proudly held the captive watermelon in one hand and asked whom does this watermelon belong to. by now, everyone was thoroughly entertained watching this stupid guy running after his watermelon, i sheepishly step forward and told the old man its my watermelon. i almost wanted to turn to the other passengers and tell them you all can carry on laughing now, no need to suppress it. i retreated back to my corner, suppressing my own laughter.

anyway, i didn't really join in the party, ka and me felt too old to hang out with the kids so we decided to go out for dinner instead, they were bbqing and i don wanna eat bbq food also. did i mention how horribly scary looking the kids were? all pierced ear hole, some even have holes and all sitting like ah beng. whats wrong with kids nowadays. i wanted to test see how horrible they are so i put on my most kuai lan face, struck my most don mess with me pose and ask them where are the drinks, and they got me my drink. hahahaha... kids.... it was nice catching up with ka, although we do often meet, but its been a long time since i was alone with him just talking and crapping. now i know why i never like going out in groups...

is this joy? i think not...

Goodbye my love...

it was a a bitter sweet moment yesterday when i threw all my notes and books away to make way for my army stuff. i surprised even myself when i realized i still had my sec 1 books and stuff, it was very nostalgic looking at some of the work i did, especially those little projects i did with my friends. i found my home econs project on a healthy and balance meal, some of my D&T "masterpiece" and mostly just files and files of worksheets and notes with lots of hard work put into it. i can vividly see myself back in my shorts in lower sec, remembering things i thought i had forgotten and as i pulled out more books from upper sec, i see those shorts lengthened to long pants which the boys so proudly wear on their first day of sec 3 and to the delight of many, the shortening of skirts as well. i still have lots of jc stuff yet to be clear but i think i'll leave that for another day

Why is my nose still block and my throat still sore! It’s been more than a week already and i'm still not fully recovered, and i fell down yesterday and sprained my ankle. at first i thought it was nothing much but seeing that its swelling up now and its still hurting, and i just hit it against the chair, i immediately went to ice it. i feel a wave of unluckiness is sweeping through me right now. oh i went to sakae sushi to eat for the first time on tuesday! i think my expectations were a notch too high and i wasn't that impress with their food. i feel that their sushi was not exactly that fresh and it was carelessly made. in fact i felt that the pack of 6 sushi i bought from giant supermarket was better. the beef udon i ordered was not bad but that’s the only saving grace.

i'm sucked back in again, is this really what i want...