Wednesday, April 28, 2010

"Looking at old photos and thinking how much things have changed."

Found this link on Facebook and added it as my favourite page. I couldn't help it but to blog about my experiences I had back in my secondary school days. So this entry is probably the most memorable one in the history of my all-archives. Nostalgic mode on. This is only the part one. Haha. CCA.

Library. My secret hiding place during recess and before extra classes/CCA. I volunteered to be a librarian. (I used to be a ME! ME! student.) Back then, there must be at least a librarian for each classes. I think because lack of manpower. Later, it was no longer a compulsory. Being a librarian was rather calm and cooling, except for shelving the books which I hated the most. Alan, the head librarian would always ask me to do the shelving duty instead of the counter. Irritating dude. One time, he caught me surfing Friendster. (Hahaha. The Friendster era.) I remember being late for my one-day library camp. Everyone had left to the beach to do some CIP work (beach-cleaning). With nothing better to do, I headed to the National Library in Toa Payoh and then Delifrance for breakfast for the first hour or so. (What a bummer.) Having returned back to school, cikgu Nurdini was surprised I appear out of nowhere. Hah. Then, along came the games. Out of spontaneity, our group name was It's-Just-A-Game. We came in second after accumulating points from all the games. As usual, barbequed food for dinner. I had the best teachers-in-charge - Mrs Raj and cikgu Nurdini. I left the CCA in secondary two because there wasn't much fun. The seniors, Alan and teachers left.

Girl Guides. I swear I didn't have in mind to opt for Girl Guides (GG) as my CCA. During the CCA orientation, Nura, my secondary three senior just pulled me to the booth. She persuaded, almost forced me to join so without a second thought, I did. I'm glad my former classmate, Sharifah who is also a close friend of mine for six years (and still counting), joined GG. No doubt we had the BEST batch of secondary three seniors like Joanne, Raudha, Nura, Irra, Amanda, Zaiton, Colleen, Yilyn and Peirong. Sweetest yet the funniest seniors EVER. (And just to include, that batch also had the good-looking bunch of NCC guys. In fact all the seniors were really good-looking. After they graduated, no more liao.)

The annual camps, World Thinking Day, banner-making, contingents, campfires and school events we involved in were endless fun. The best three-day camp I believe, we ever had, was the one in Camp Christine ('twas in secondary two). It's a tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That was the only year my batch had the chance to camp outside of school. With Sharifah as my canoe partner, we rowed for almost an hour I think. From one place to the other end, rowed around the kelongs with dogs barking at us and us avoiding the fishing lines. Not to forget the delicious meals which I find ironic. Camps shouldn't serve good food. When washing the plates, Clarice being the irked one, was cursing at the bugs and insects. Then Ms Tan said not to look at them so that they won't get near her. Haha. We carried out our gang shows (short performances) followed by songs and cheers at night in the lodge. (I forgot what my patrol's performance was). There was once where one of our activities was abseiling ('twas in secondary three). Initially I was looking forward to it but I guess I didn't have the guts. Boo me. Oh. I remembered our own school campfire! It was epic. The bridge that was built by our Scouts was freakin' high, the tallest I'd seen as compared to other schools. As similar to a two-storey building. GG and Scouts from other schools were awed by this. I was the usher so of course, I had to lead them. It was downright scary. At any point of time, with 40 people on the bridge made of poles all attached with ropes, it would collapse. Surprisingly it didn't. Haha. The school's principal and other uniform groups were there. Even a group of GG as far as Teck Whye Secondary School came down. Everyone walked along the bridge. It was the best campfire night with the hip emcees followed by entertaining performances. The next day, us and the Scouts did the major cleanup. Although exhausting, it was all worth it.

I promise to do my best
To do my duty to God
To serve my country
And help other people
And to keep the Guide law

I was a Patrol Leader in 2006 for Swallow. And I'm proud of it. And I love my juniors. (Now I have no idea what they have become.)

I forgot about the commands of marching, horseshoe formation (for enrolment ceremony!) and stuff. I can't even recall the lyrics to most of the GG's songs that was repeatedly sung on every meeting. The last time I did was like 3 years ago. Being a parade commander during flag-raising ceremonies was a major nerve-wrack. Damn the faces of all the school's population. The Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) '06. I was a member of the parade's marching contingent. As well as Teachers' Day and Sport's Day. Those were the good and bad times, where all the uniform groups came together, practice till perfect while blazing under the hot sun plus staying back late for countless rehearsals. SYF was pretty disastrous. That was the first time I encounter the delightful misery under Ms Alsagoff. Haha. She reminded me of a prison officer with all the yelling and criticisms but eventually, her method of discipline led us to perfection. One time, during the rehearsal which took place in Home Team Academy, we were told not to wear any watches. (By right GG don't wear watches when they're in the parade, I think la.) I completely forgot so there goes my (favourite) watch, it got confiscated. She had sharp, observant eyes. At the end of the rehearsal, I took the risk to ask her for my watch back because she'd clearly forgotten. She didn't say a word (which scares me) throughout searching for it in her gym bag. Those were the days. I miss being a GG. And it's disappointing there's no more GG CCA in the school. No more Ms Michelle Chan. No more Ms Tan Seow Lan. And and and not to forget, for our secondary four GG camp (without the juniors, only us), we got the chance to chill out at the teachers' lounge. That was where we had Pizza Hut for dinner and Les Choristes for our late night movie. Thanks for everything Ms Tan.

I had the BEST batch of my own EVER. We went through the ups and downs and always on the lookout for each other. The outings, birthday celebrations, neoprints and such. Those were the days. It's been a long long while I haven't keep in touch with them except Shar. I can't believe how fast we've grown and them already being undergraduates. Hopefully we can see all of us again during the Christmas period like we used to! I love you girls and I wish you all the best.

Since I'm not working (except tutoring then schooling later) this next Monday, I'm going back to Zhonghua. :D Haven't stepped into the school for a year and a half. It doesn't matter if none of the teachers remembers me. I want need to relive the moment.

0 comment(s)
10:07 PM

Sunday, April 25, 2010

My next entry is going to be effin' long. Like 1000-word essay. (Hint: Zhonghua Secondary School) Now I'm working on my next paragraph. I'm trying to recall everything.

I didn't manage to watch any of these movies in theatres: Clash Of The Titans, Date Night, Kick-Ass, Youth In Revolt, Shutter Island. This coming week Iron Man 2. Facepalms. Tight tight schedule. Time management skills in progress.

My current obsession.
0 comment(s)
9:39 PM

Friday, April 23, 2010

I've been blogging the tumblr way. Posting pictures followed by caption. So it's not fair. Blogs should be written in lengthy posts.

I think I'm doing fine. On the outside la haha. Everything seems to be overwhelming. School just started three days ago. And like I've always known, it is very exhausting. Last week, I had a hard time with two of my students. They came to school crying and wailing for almost two hours. I was puzzled how they can behave in such a way when they used to be happy, smiley kids. The first kid fell sick for nearly a week so when she stepped into the classroom, she wanted to go home and see her mother badly. The second kid refused to come to school just because I scolded him. And the mother seemed to be quite unhappy with me. Ahhhh pampered boy. I had a good laugh about it.

Oh yeah just to add on, my kids are wayyyyyyyyy smart. At the age of four/five, their knowledge and usage of vocabulary are remarkable. Also the way they phrase their sentences is undeniably jaw-dropping. Some examples based on my observation today:


Mikaail: Maybe your helicopter is broken because the propeller is not strong enough Clarence.

Mikaail: I feel so strange today. Like a frustration, but I don't really know what it is.

Nurul: Look teacher Huda, I'm conducting an experiment.

Nicholas: Yes I know! It's called webbed feet. Ducks have webbed feet to help them paddle in the water.

Nicholas: When there's a fire in the building, people should evacuate immediately.

Horace: You didn't say thank you to teacher Huda. Where is your manners and respect?


Oh dear. Can't remember the rest. I should've noted down almost everything they say.

This week started off good, no tantrums from the children except some whinings. But then school is thrice a week. I have to knock off from work at 5pm on the dot and reach school by 6pm. The one-hour journey is a total rush. Thank god my colleague is also my classmate so we can look out for each other. Assignments are piling up since day one and I haven't even touched any of those. (And parents-teacher meeting/conference is just around the corner yet I'm not prepared. PANIC.) Most of my classmates are around my sisters-in-law's age and some I regard them as my mother. It's kind of awkward to start off a conversation with them but just as I thought, pre-school teachers are fun-loving people. Too approachable. I feel like I don't have enough of sleep. Like duh, I reach home at midnight. I hate the dreadful feeling, waking up the next morning and face the kids, again. I've to keep reminding myself to endure this process for another two years, then my life will be awesome, surrounded with children, again.


Tomorrow: School from 9 am till noon then gonna rush to cousin's engagement.

I'm really so happy for you Kak Atik. <3
1 comment(s)
9:05 PM

Sunday, April 18, 2010

0 comment(s)
6:40 PM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Three things to do watch this week:

Date Night (Steve Carell with Tina Fey!!!!!!!!!!!)
Kick-Ass
season 2 of That '70s Show

0 comment(s)
12:11 PM

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Magnifique.

0 comment(s)
6:52 PM

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

"Looking at old photos and thinking how much things have changed."

Found this link on Facebook and added it as my favourite page. I couldn't help it but to blog about my experiences I had back in my secondary school days. So this entry is probably the most memorable one in the history of my all-archives. Nostalgic mode on. This is only the part one. Haha. CCA.

Library. My secret hiding place during recess and before extra classes/CCA. I volunteered to be a librarian. (I used to be a ME! ME! student.) Back then, there must be at least a librarian for each classes. I think because lack of manpower. Later, it was no longer a compulsory. Being a librarian was rather calm and cooling, except for shelving the books which I hated the most. Alan, the head librarian would always ask me to do the shelving duty instead of the counter. Irritating dude. One time, he caught me surfing Friendster. (Hahaha. The Friendster era.) I remember being late for my one-day library camp. Everyone had left to the beach to do some CIP work (beach-cleaning). With nothing better to do, I headed to the National Library in Toa Payoh and then Delifrance for breakfast for the first hour or so. (What a bummer.) Having returned back to school, cikgu Nurdini was surprised I appear out of nowhere. Hah. Then, along came the games. Out of spontaneity, our group name was It's-Just-A-Game. We came in second after accumulating points from all the games. As usual, barbequed food for dinner. I had the best teachers-in-charge - Mrs Raj and cikgu Nurdini. I left the CCA in secondary two because there wasn't much fun. The seniors, Alan and teachers left.

Girl Guides. I swear I didn't have in mind to opt for Girl Guides (GG) as my CCA. During the CCA orientation, Nura, my secondary three senior just pulled me to the booth. She persuaded, almost forced me to join so without a second thought, I did. I'm glad my former classmate, Sharifah who is also a close friend of mine for six years (and still counting), joined GG. No doubt we had the BEST batch of secondary three seniors like Joanne, Raudha, Nura, Irra, Amanda, Zaiton, Colleen, Yilyn and Peirong. Sweetest yet the funniest seniors EVER. (And just to include, that batch also had the good-looking bunch of NCC guys. In fact all the seniors were really good-looking. After they graduated, no more liao.)

The annual camps, World Thinking Day, banner-making, contingents, campfires and school events we involved in were endless fun. The best three-day camp I believe, we ever had, was the one in Camp Christine ('twas in secondary two). It's a tranquil place away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That was the only year my batch had the chance to camp outside of school. With Sharifah as my canoe partner, we rowed for almost an hour I think. From one place to the other end, rowed around the kelongs with dogs barking at us and us avoiding the fishing lines. Not to forget the delicious meals which I find ironic. Camps shouldn't serve good food. When washing the plates, Clarice being the irked one, was cursing at the bugs and insects. Then Ms Tan said not to look at them so that they won't get near her. Haha. We carried out our gang shows (short performances) followed by songs and cheers at night in the lodge. (I forgot what my patrol's performance was). There was once where one of our activities was abseiling ('twas in secondary three). Initially I was looking forward to it but I guess I didn't have the guts. Boo me. Oh. I remembered our own school campfire! It was epic. The bridge that was built by our Scouts was freakin' high, the tallest I'd seen as compared to other schools. As similar to a two-storey building. GG and Scouts from other schools were awed by this. I was the usher so of course, I had to lead them. It was downright scary. At any point of time, with 40 people on the bridge made of poles all attached with ropes, it would collapse. Surprisingly it didn't. Haha. The school's principal and other uniform groups were there. Even a group of GG as far as Teck Whye Secondary School came down. Everyone walked along the bridge. It was the best campfire night with the hip emcees followed by entertaining performances. The next day, us and the Scouts did the major cleanup. Although exhausting, it was all worth it.

I promise to do my best
To do my duty to God
To serve my country
And help other people
And to keep the Guide law

I was a Patrol Leader in 2006 for Swallow. And I'm proud of it. And I love my juniors. (Now I have no idea what they have become.)

I forgot about the commands of marching, horseshoe formation (for enrolment ceremony!) and stuff. I can't even recall the lyrics to most of the GG's songs that was repeatedly sung on every meeting. The last time I did was like 3 years ago. Being a parade commander during flag-raising ceremonies was a major nerve-wrack. Damn the faces of all the school's population. The Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) '06. I was a member of the parade's marching contingent. As well as Teachers' Day and Sport's Day. Those were the good and bad times, where all the uniform groups came together, practice till perfect while blazing under the hot sun plus staying back late for countless rehearsals. SYF was pretty disastrous. That was the first time I encounter the delightful misery under Ms Alsagoff. Haha. She reminded me of a prison officer with all the yelling and criticisms but eventually, her method of discipline led us to perfection. One time, during the rehearsal which took place in Home Team Academy, we were told not to wear any watches. (By right GG don't wear watches when they're in the parade, I think la.) I completely forgot so there goes my (favourite) watch, it got confiscated. She had sharp, observant eyes. At the end of the rehearsal, I took the risk to ask her for my watch back because she'd clearly forgotten. She didn't say a word (which scares me) throughout searching for it in her gym bag. Those were the days. I miss being a GG. And it's disappointing there's no more GG CCA in the school. No more Ms Michelle Chan. No more Ms Tan Seow Lan. And and and not to forget, for our secondary four GG camp (without the juniors, only us), we got the chance to chill out at the teachers' lounge. That was where we had Pizza Hut for dinner and Les Choristes for our late night movie. Thanks for everything Ms Tan.

I had the BEST batch of my own EVER. We went through the ups and downs and always on the lookout for each other. The outings, birthday celebrations, neoprints and such. Those were the days. It's been a long long while I haven't keep in touch with them except Shar. I can't believe how fast we've grown and them already being undergraduates. Hopefully we can see all of us again during the Christmas period like we used to! I love you girls and I wish you all the best.

Since I'm not working (except tutoring then schooling later) this next Monday, I'm going back to Zhonghua. :D Haven't stepped into the school for a year and a half. It doesn't matter if none of the teachers remembers me. I want need to relive the moment.

0 comment(s)
10:07 PM

Sunday, April 25, 2010

My next entry is going to be effin' long. Like 1000-word essay. (Hint: Zhonghua Secondary School) Now I'm working on my next paragraph. I'm trying to recall everything.

I didn't manage to watch any of these movies in theatres: Clash Of The Titans, Date Night, Kick-Ass, Youth In Revolt, Shutter Island. This coming week Iron Man 2. Facepalms. Tight tight schedule. Time management skills in progress.

My current obsession.
0 comment(s)
9:39 PM

Friday, April 23, 2010

I've been blogging the tumblr way. Posting pictures followed by caption. So it's not fair. Blogs should be written in lengthy posts.

I think I'm doing fine. On the outside la haha. Everything seems to be overwhelming. School just started three days ago. And like I've always known, it is very exhausting. Last week, I had a hard time with two of my students. They came to school crying and wailing for almost two hours. I was puzzled how they can behave in such a way when they used to be happy, smiley kids. The first kid fell sick for nearly a week so when she stepped into the classroom, she wanted to go home and see her mother badly. The second kid refused to come to school just because I scolded him. And the mother seemed to be quite unhappy with me. Ahhhh pampered boy. I had a good laugh about it.

Oh yeah just to add on, my kids are wayyyyyyyyy smart. At the age of four/five, their knowledge and usage of vocabulary are remarkable. Also the way they phrase their sentences is undeniably jaw-dropping. Some examples based on my observation today:


Mikaail: Maybe your helicopter is broken because the propeller is not strong enough Clarence.

Mikaail: I feel so strange today. Like a frustration, but I don't really know what it is.

Nurul: Look teacher Huda, I'm conducting an experiment.

Nicholas: Yes I know! It's called webbed feet. Ducks have webbed feet to help them paddle in the water.

Nicholas: When there's a fire in the building, people should evacuate immediately.

Horace: You didn't say thank you to teacher Huda. Where is your manners and respect?


Oh dear. Can't remember the rest. I should've noted down almost everything they say.

This week started off good, no tantrums from the children except some whinings. But then school is thrice a week. I have to knock off from work at 5pm on the dot and reach school by 6pm. The one-hour journey is a total rush. Thank god my colleague is also my classmate so we can look out for each other. Assignments are piling up since day one and I haven't even touched any of those. (And parents-teacher meeting/conference is just around the corner yet I'm not prepared. PANIC.) Most of my classmates are around my sisters-in-law's age and some I regard them as my mother. It's kind of awkward to start off a conversation with them but just as I thought, pre-school teachers are fun-loving people. Too approachable. I feel like I don't have enough of sleep. Like duh, I reach home at midnight. I hate the dreadful feeling, waking up the next morning and face the kids, again. I've to keep reminding myself to endure this process for another two years, then my life will be awesome, surrounded with children, again.


Tomorrow: School from 9 am till noon then gonna rush to cousin's engagement.

I'm really so happy for you Kak Atik. <3
1 comment(s)
9:05 PM

Sunday, April 18, 2010

0 comment(s)
6:40 PM

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Three things to do watch this week:

Date Night (Steve Carell with Tina Fey!!!!!!!!!!!)
Kick-Ass
season 2 of That '70s Show

0 comment(s)
12:11 PM

Sunday, April 04, 2010

Magnifique.

0 comment(s)
6:52 PM