Friendship.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
To be a little different, i shall talk about friends today.What exactly is the definition of a friend?
in my opinion, the definition of a friend changes as one goes through different stages of life.
When you are still a child, your idea of a friend, or even best friend, is one who shares his stationary with you.
As you grow older, probably when you are in primary school, your idea of a friend is one who is willing to play with you, have food with you during recess.
This simplistic idea of friends in general will change as one enters adolescence. Probably at this stage, your idea of a friend is one who shares similar viewpoints about life, one who is willing to listen to your woes as a teenager...
This changes again when you enter adulthood...
The thing is, there is something that remains common.
it is that special bond that you share with that friend, that sense of comfort and assurance that you have when you are with that friend.
and i think that is what makes friends really, really valuable.
Friday, August 24, 2007
forget about the odex case. they lost to pacific internet this time round.
below is one of the post in a blog which i enjoy reading,
Education Attitdues In School
The Secondary 4 Preliminary Exams have just started, and I already lost faith in what the education system currently stands for. A peek at the mark-list of the students' Mathematics, Social Studies and Chemistry results show that all the innovative teaching methods that my school had bragged and boasted to other schools in our cluster is nothing but a load of bull.I feel sad each morning as I greet my Secondary 4 students, who are still preparing for their remaining papers. I do not wish to spoil their mood by revealing to them how badly they have done as a cohort. My only consolation was that nearly everyone in my own Sec 4 form class passed their Mathematics, even though the distinction rate was pathetic. Given the current state of readiness my students are, it is quite likely that the majority of them will have to sit out the first two months of Junior College next year, and pray hard that their O-level results will save their sorry asses.
*
What the hell is wrong with the educational attitudes in school these days? It wasn't like that during my time. Heck, during my student days, the school didn't even believe in preparing us for our graduation exams with series of mock exams and assorted revision programs. After the syllabus was completed, we were left to sink or swim on our own. The only time our teachers turned up in class was because we requested their presence for consultation purposes. In my school right now, we had been busy fire-fighting and re-teaching certain topics, and not to mention mark endless scripts of mock exams to prepare the students for their graduating exams. In return, the students give us utter trash to mark.If anyone is to be blamed for the shitty results, the main culprit are the students themselves. What the hell is wrong with them? There isn't that sense of urgency in them that their exams are around the corner. Some of them don't even give a shit that they are going to fail badly.'So what if I fail my Math or Science? I have a senior who won a scholarship to study ballet in the USA even though she totally screwed up her Amaths.''What's the big deal of getting 40 points for my L1R5 during Prelims? After all, I plan to go Polytechnic, not the junior college.''I don't understand what the teacher is talking about in class. And no, I don't believe in reading up the textbook to clarify my doubts.' (What the fuck? Are you fucking illiterate? You can't even answer simple Chemistry questions that require nothing more than simple memorization from your fucking textbook?? )That is the current prevailing attitude of the graduating students currently. And the scary part is, we aren't exactly the bottom-of-the-barrel type of school.
*
A couple of days ago, we had an emergency meeting to discuss the atrocious Math exam results of our students. Many teachers were eager to voice out what was wrong with the system, except me. I felt that there was nothing more to say since management wasn't interested in wanting to deal with the problem of academic weakness. Management is only interested in fire-fighting during exam period. As for the rest of the school year, management shows greater interest in going after performance awards, conducting workshops to brag about its 'superior' teaching methods, and getting students to to engage in attention-seeking project works.Our students shitty results are worrying. This is because the school doesn't believe in taking decisive action early to eradicate a long-term problem. Management believes that all academic problems can be resolved during the intensive 6-8 weeks exam prep program. Hallelujah! At this rate, I can play with my students all year around and only start teaching during the last 6-8 weeks before the O-level exam starts.Why the hell isn't the school taking the weak students more seriously? Why aren't we telling them to either shape up in their studies, or risk getting suspended from all Co-Curricular activities? In my school, we are only taking token effort to help the weak students. Over the five school days each week, three days are reserved for remedial class. And each remedial lesson can only last 1 hour, since students need to spend the next 3 hours on their CCAs.Ask yourself; you are weak in Math. So is the rest of the class of 40 students. Yet, all the school does is give you one extra hour a week for remedial. You want to ask your teacher for help. But your teacher is too busy attending meetings, attending workshops to become an even better teacher, or too busy running a rehearsal for a school event the next week. Great attitude towards education, isn't it?The school is only willing to give you a measly hour a week for Math remedial. But the school can ask you to stay back twice a week, each time 3 hours long into the late evenings for a rehearsal. It kinda tells you where the school's priorities are. And you can't cut back on CCA, 'coz that will directly affect the political influence of the CCA Head-of-Department. The less you do for CCA, the less relevant the CCA Head-of-Department will appear.Basically, the school is more keen on putting up a good show and getting its paperwork in order, than producing actual good results.I didn't wish to express my views during the meeting. I never forgot the fate of loyal mandarins who told the foolish Emperor straight to his face that his empire was falling apart. I just do what I can, shut my mouth, earn my money and enjoy my life after work. Quietly behind the scenes, some of my colleagues and I ignore managements' idiotic orders from time to time and try to save our own classes.
*
My school's paperwork is excellent. If you check our students' files, you would have realized that they turn in their homework regularly. The thick files are there to prove that the teachers have covered their asses. But you need to ask yourself, if homework is always turned in promptly, even by the hopeless cases, then why are students still failing so badly for all their subjects?The answer to that question isn't that important. As long as the files are thick, and are labelled systematically enough to please the external Evaluation teams, the management is happy enough. At least they can claim that on paper, all necessary checks and balances are in place. And yes, we will get our own version of the ISO 9000 quality assurance stamp of approval.Our result suck from year to year, and we can get the ISO approval. Kinda tell you that the education attitude in school is really going to the dogs, isn't it?
*
For an average school like mine, academic results won't improve until my school starts to focus on improving results. Focus should start when they are in Sec 1, and not fire-fighting two months before the O-level exams begin.Results also won't improve as long as students maintain their lacklustre attitude towards their own future.My boss likes to act fierce. Maybe she should go and scold the students and get them to wake up their bloody idea. Why the hell is she so kind to them? Is this part of the "Love" approach to education, where we do our best to not burst anyone's bubble by telling them that if they don't buck up, they are going to fail?The school is going down the drain. And I suspect, mine isn't the only one.
The Secondary 4 Preliminary Exams have just started, and I already lost faith in what the education system currently stands for. A peek at the mark-list of the students' Mathematics, Social Studies and Chemistry results show that all the innovative teaching methods that my school had bragged and boasted to other schools in our cluster is nothing but a load of bull.I feel sad each morning as I greet my Secondary 4 students, who are still preparing for their remaining papers. I do not wish to spoil their mood by revealing to them how badly they have done as a cohort. My only consolation was that nearly everyone in my own Sec 4 form class passed their Mathematics, even though the distinction rate was pathetic. Given the current state of readiness my students are, it is quite likely that the majority of them will have to sit out the first two months of Junior College next year, and pray hard that their O-level results will save their sorry asses.
*
What the hell is wrong with the educational attitudes in school these days? It wasn't like that during my time. Heck, during my student days, the school didn't even believe in preparing us for our graduation exams with series of mock exams and assorted revision programs. After the syllabus was completed, we were left to sink or swim on our own. The only time our teachers turned up in class was because we requested their presence for consultation purposes. In my school right now, we had been busy fire-fighting and re-teaching certain topics, and not to mention mark endless scripts of mock exams to prepare the students for their graduating exams. In return, the students give us utter trash to mark.If anyone is to be blamed for the shitty results, the main culprit are the students themselves. What the hell is wrong with them? There isn't that sense of urgency in them that their exams are around the corner. Some of them don't even give a shit that they are going to fail badly.'So what if I fail my Math or Science? I have a senior who won a scholarship to study ballet in the USA even though she totally screwed up her Amaths.''What's the big deal of getting 40 points for my L1R5 during Prelims? After all, I plan to go Polytechnic, not the junior college.''I don't understand what the teacher is talking about in class. And no, I don't believe in reading up the textbook to clarify my doubts.' (What the fuck? Are you fucking illiterate? You can't even answer simple Chemistry questions that require nothing more than simple memorization from your fucking textbook?? )That is the current prevailing attitude of the graduating students currently. And the scary part is, we aren't exactly the bottom-of-the-barrel type of school.
*
A couple of days ago, we had an emergency meeting to discuss the atrocious Math exam results of our students. Many teachers were eager to voice out what was wrong with the system, except me. I felt that there was nothing more to say since management wasn't interested in wanting to deal with the problem of academic weakness. Management is only interested in fire-fighting during exam period. As for the rest of the school year, management shows greater interest in going after performance awards, conducting workshops to brag about its 'superior' teaching methods, and getting students to to engage in attention-seeking project works.Our students shitty results are worrying. This is because the school doesn't believe in taking decisive action early to eradicate a long-term problem. Management believes that all academic problems can be resolved during the intensive 6-8 weeks exam prep program. Hallelujah! At this rate, I can play with my students all year around and only start teaching during the last 6-8 weeks before the O-level exam starts.Why the hell isn't the school taking the weak students more seriously? Why aren't we telling them to either shape up in their studies, or risk getting suspended from all Co-Curricular activities? In my school, we are only taking token effort to help the weak students. Over the five school days each week, three days are reserved for remedial class. And each remedial lesson can only last 1 hour, since students need to spend the next 3 hours on their CCAs.Ask yourself; you are weak in Math. So is the rest of the class of 40 students. Yet, all the school does is give you one extra hour a week for remedial. You want to ask your teacher for help. But your teacher is too busy attending meetings, attending workshops to become an even better teacher, or too busy running a rehearsal for a school event the next week. Great attitude towards education, isn't it?The school is only willing to give you a measly hour a week for Math remedial. But the school can ask you to stay back twice a week, each time 3 hours long into the late evenings for a rehearsal. It kinda tells you where the school's priorities are. And you can't cut back on CCA, 'coz that will directly affect the political influence of the CCA Head-of-Department. The less you do for CCA, the less relevant the CCA Head-of-Department will appear.Basically, the school is more keen on putting up a good show and getting its paperwork in order, than producing actual good results.I didn't wish to express my views during the meeting. I never forgot the fate of loyal mandarins who told the foolish Emperor straight to his face that his empire was falling apart. I just do what I can, shut my mouth, earn my money and enjoy my life after work. Quietly behind the scenes, some of my colleagues and I ignore managements' idiotic orders from time to time and try to save our own classes.
*
My school's paperwork is excellent. If you check our students' files, you would have realized that they turn in their homework regularly. The thick files are there to prove that the teachers have covered their asses. But you need to ask yourself, if homework is always turned in promptly, even by the hopeless cases, then why are students still failing so badly for all their subjects?The answer to that question isn't that important. As long as the files are thick, and are labelled systematically enough to please the external Evaluation teams, the management is happy enough. At least they can claim that on paper, all necessary checks and balances are in place. And yes, we will get our own version of the ISO 9000 quality assurance stamp of approval.Our result suck from year to year, and we can get the ISO approval. Kinda tell you that the education attitude in school is really going to the dogs, isn't it?
*
For an average school like mine, academic results won't improve until my school starts to focus on improving results. Focus should start when they are in Sec 1, and not fire-fighting two months before the O-level exams begin.Results also won't improve as long as students maintain their lacklustre attitude towards their own future.My boss likes to act fierce. Maybe she should go and scold the students and get them to wake up their bloody idea. Why the hell is she so kind to them? Is this part of the "Love" approach to education, where we do our best to not burst anyone's bubble by telling them that if they don't buck up, they are going to fail?The school is going down the drain. And I suspect, mine isn't the only one.
It's rather lengthy, but it does provide an accurate reflection of what is happening in schools nowadays.
Even for myself, who used to enjoy learning, find going to school a waste of time. nowadays, i find it a torture to even force myself to do work. Seriously, why are we going through all this? The teachers will only say that we give them rubbish, when what they focus is some sort of programme which is supposed to help us (and unfortunately it doesn't) and later give us a list of definitions which we are supposed to memorize for our exams, claiming that it is to help us pass our exams.
why don't they attempt to make lessons more interesting, and at the same time give us more problems to work on, rather than working on those well sought-after programmes?
u think u can pass ur promos with nothing more than 20 questions in a tutorial for each topic?
think again.
with all this crap about teach less learn more, we students are expected to find our own resources for our own revision. Its as if we do not have enough things to do. CCAs, stupid SPA, PW, whatever.
in my opinion, i think consistency is most important in learning. u do, u remember. i rather we have consistent work throughout and have lesser work to do when exams come.
Now, i really cant be bothered to do work because i know i will have to repeat everything when i study for the exams.
Then why waste time in school?
We try to teach you content in schools, they claim.
What about those which they cannot finish?
Perfect solution: E-learning.
_________________________________________________________________
On the other side of the spectrum, in britain, people are complaining that their children cant do simple math problems. Such a situation is due to the over emphasis on the teaching of skills, so on and so forth.
So, does that mean we shouldn't be focusing on skills instead?
Well, the solution is simple actually. Rather than banking on one, we should actually complement the teaching of academics and skills.
But apparently, its not that easy when it comes to implementation.
__________________________________________________________________
No wonder the standard of students are dropping. I wonder how deep will the bottom of the pit be.
But still, to all sec 4s, good luck for your prelims.
Untitled 7.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Here to post sth before this pathetic blog gets real dusty...Recently my r/s with someone turned real bad. I guess i need to make it clear that i don want things to turn out this way, but since he didn't give me any space to step back, i don't see how i can forgive him. or u can say, i don't want to forgive him. But if things were viewed at my perspective, i gave him far too many chances.
Enough is enough.
To more serious stuff. Recently my gp topic has been on singapore on global issues. Even my gp tutor craps alot, she asked a question which really caught me thinking.
Is Singapore supportive of producing the nukes?
The answer is quite ambigous, really. According to eng yian, spore is the largest manufacture of land mines (although she has no use of it) and also manufactures aluminum chips that are needed for nuclear reactions, or sth similar.
And as you guys know, spore hasn't been commenting on what other countries do. It has been THEIR style.
Hmmm.
_______________________________________________________________
Recently, Odex has decided that it wanted to sue those who illegally dl anime. Those anime are, of cos, licensced by them. It's just ridiculous.
I lost my mood to blog suddenly. Continue next time.
Goodbye, my friend.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
This post is dedicated to my closest friend ever, marcus pang.he's flying off to canada this sunday morning, and i haven't decided if i should go send him off.
He's the coolest person one will ever meet, and to me, the best friend ever. I remember the days we spent in our beloved cabin classroom, where he guai lan-ed me, joked with me, squeezed my leg, and where i spent endless time teaching him physics...
Apart from all these, he taught me many values in life, and encouraged me to move on whenever i was down and wanted to give up. He always listened to the stories i had to tell, and i really, really appreciated that.
Not forgetting Naruto, Death Note and Bleach which he intro to me, having a life, and trying out all sorts of games and sports...and of cos that night which we drank and had such a looooong breakfast the following day.
Even though we went through dark times, and he probably wouldn't remember as many things as i do about us and 4T1 because he had much better memories with his jc class, i guess its all about the good times we had together as friends and as a class.
Without him, i probably wouldn't be the self i am today. I owe him simply too much. It reminds me of the day when he told me he's leaving, and i got emo and told him that i chose not to believe so.
Now that i think of it, its not a bad thing that he's leaving. but I will miss him, that's for sure.
For now, i can only wish him all the best in Canada, and find your true self there. (and of course, don forget 4T1/2006 and visit us when u return next june!)
You said you won't forget me, and i can always chat with you over msn on weekend mornings (singapore time)...so that's a deal!!! :p
au revoir, mon ami.
hurt.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
i made a point that i must post something today...well i haven been posting for quite some time, so this post will fill the gap.my good fren will be leaving in less than 2 weeks time...and so i will depend more on myself than before. which isn't entirely a bad thing, but then...nvm.
i guess absence makes the heart grow fonder.
yet again, someone said things which hurt me quite badly. prob those who are close to me would noe, but my point is, when someone is suspicious of the most sincere initiative that you have, it speaks alot of that person...
much as i want things to return to the old days, i'm sorry but i can't this time.
Losing 2 friends (of course in a different sense) at the same time is no easy feat...there're times when i really feel lonely and upset...what to do? that's life!
ok its 9..got to do work. cya.