Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Urban lecture experience
Guess what?
I started lecturing on my favourite topic - "Urban Geography" today! =)
My my... I had to blog about it.
So much sweat, so many hours sitting and staring at the computer (!), all the research to generate the lecture notes, the scanning and sourcing of diagrams and beautiful pictures, etc.
Well, I have to say that the process was almost torturous, I sadistically enjoyed it to some extent! Haha! Maybe it's cos I absolutely love the topic, and I feel confident in delivering a fairly good lecture.
The sense of satisfaction was worth it... and it's several-tiered! =)
I started lecturing on my favourite topic - "Urban Geography" today! =)
My my... I had to blog about it.
So much sweat, so many hours sitting and staring at the computer (!), all the research to generate the lecture notes, the scanning and sourcing of diagrams and beautiful pictures, etc.
Well, I have to say that the process was almost torturous, I sadistically enjoyed it to some extent! Haha! Maybe it's cos I absolutely love the topic, and I feel confident in delivering a fairly good lecture.
The sense of satisfaction was worth it... and it's several-tiered! =)
- When I browsed through my powerpoint slides and they were 'fattened' with considerably substantial content and nice nice pictures and effects. Hee.
- When I finally printed out a final copy of my lecture notes. Thick thick leh... cos I compiled 2 to 3 lectures together. Heh. And there are cute cute bullets to add an element of fun, like how Lampy used to print for us.
- When students who were late were to carry their own tables and chairs from the other class as there were insufficient furniture in the classroom. I thought it was appropriate 'punishment'! A "disaster" which turned out to be a blessing. (I was stressed over searching for an appropriate venue which could 'tahan' the whole group.)
- When I gave the students a brief overview of the ideas I had for the lecture group. For example, local fieldtrips and projects. And they were "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" and smiling to themselves. Wow. Heh.
- When I did start lecturing and felt a sense of joy when I did start explaining my lecture points, and saw that they were listening attentitvely, not dozing off or lost or 'forced' to pay attention. I was actually enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to stop lecturing! (But I did of course! Haha! Cannot spoil all the fun...)
- When I distributed rough paper and had the students either draw or write what they imagined what each cities were like, as I listed the cities. such as New York, Paris, Beijing, Mumbai, etc. They didn't know where Mumbai is! Haha! They enjoyed the activity, and through their contrasting imaginations of Mumbai and New York (ie. Mumbai being polluted, crowded, densely populated, messy.... and New York with skyscrapers, people who speak English, Statue of Liberty, 911, etc.) I was able to illustrate how rapid urban growth especially in LDCs like Mumbai would be problematic.
And of course, I had to make a booboo, and pay for it! Literally.
I sent my lecture notes for printing yesterday, and tried to explain to the auntie about the change in lecture groups. Today, I ended up with a WHOLE stack of notes for the WHOLE cohort of JC2 H1 Geography students! Oh my! And she said that it was my fault. Haii... what to do? So I offered to pay lor... and you know how much it was? A whooping $36!! What a waste of my money! Slog so much still must fork out a big lump sum of money for notes which can't even be used as rough paper! Sigh... My only hope is to wait for next year's batch of students doing "Urban Geography" and recycle the notes. How dumb.
I returned to the staffroom and told HBB that I had done something stoopid. My RO overheard and commented, "What's new?" Haii... there goes whatever reputation I had...
Ok, too long. I'm going to mark. When you set too much work, you suffer. *Orh-bee-good*
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Positive take on things
I am blogging because I am not doing work, though I have piles of marking and preparation for lecture awaiting me. Hmm... guess I have yet to change my in-born nature of procastinating!
That was how "PinPy" came about! It stands for "Partner-in-Procastination". And long fren is my Pinpy! Though I think she has long abandoned me to dwell in my procastination while she moves on to new pastures. Heh.
Anyway, I'm just here to talk about how keeping a positive attitude is essential, and sometimes, pertinent to survival. I definitely do not claim to be positive all the time, and am postitively negative (paradox!) at times, causing me to go into depression many a times. However, I do believe that staying positive and optimistic keeps one happy/satisfied, and provides us the impetus to survive and accomplish sometimes unimaginable things.
I speak as a first person, who is bogged down with many responsibilities at work. Duties include straddling between both Human and Physical Geog at 2nd year level, straddling with 1st years, taking on ODAC and Canoeing and trying to contribute as much as possible, being in a Committee to plan a major event... oh, and don't forget the CTship and Project Work which comes along with it... and my passion in organizing Fieldtrips and inevitable Remedial classes. After almost a term, I am still surviving, because many of the duties above have not exactly taken form, such as PW, lecturing, etc.
The other day there was a unit meeting and my RO said she didn't want me to die. I told Kel the situation and he took it that they were bullying the young teacher. (Well, have I mentioned that my confirmation is this year? Heh.) I see his point of view, and sometimes things are inevitable. If I were to grouch about it and feel bullied and exploited, I am convinced that I will not be able to fulfill my basic responsibilities at all. But I am thankful that I am able to take everything as a challenge, and am hopefully confident that I can excel at some areas.
At least I find joy in the things I do... I love and treasure my teaching periods and interaction with my students, including CCA students. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I sense that I have taught them something, given them advice and they take it, or even to bring a smile to their face. I find joy in organizing fieldtrips because I myself want to play, and desire for students to fall in love with Geog on the fieldtrip (cos there's so much you can learn!)
Chien asked why I don't just hire someone to complete my marking. Well, first I lack the finances, second I don't want to give up this opportunity to guide the kids' development. Through marking, I also get to know my students better, and it's a great way to interact with them - through comments and advice on their scripts.
Ok, enough blabbering. Part of the purpose was to blog about it when I'm still positive~ So that when or if I become pessimistic and drowning in work, I can come back here to read this entry and remind myself to stay positive and strong! And may this entry be of some encouragement to you too! =)
That was how "PinPy" came about! It stands for "Partner-in-Procastination". And long fren is my Pinpy! Though I think she has long abandoned me to dwell in my procastination while she moves on to new pastures. Heh.
Anyway, I'm just here to talk about how keeping a positive attitude is essential, and sometimes, pertinent to survival. I definitely do not claim to be positive all the time, and am postitively negative (paradox!) at times, causing me to go into depression many a times. However, I do believe that staying positive and optimistic keeps one happy/satisfied, and provides us the impetus to survive and accomplish sometimes unimaginable things.
I speak as a first person, who is bogged down with many responsibilities at work. Duties include straddling between both Human and Physical Geog at 2nd year level, straddling with 1st years, taking on ODAC and Canoeing and trying to contribute as much as possible, being in a Committee to plan a major event... oh, and don't forget the CTship and Project Work which comes along with it... and my passion in organizing Fieldtrips and inevitable Remedial classes. After almost a term, I am still surviving, because many of the duties above have not exactly taken form, such as PW, lecturing, etc.
The other day there was a unit meeting and my RO said she didn't want me to die. I told Kel the situation and he took it that they were bullying the young teacher. (Well, have I mentioned that my confirmation is this year? Heh.) I see his point of view, and sometimes things are inevitable. If I were to grouch about it and feel bullied and exploited, I am convinced that I will not be able to fulfill my basic responsibilities at all. But I am thankful that I am able to take everything as a challenge, and am hopefully confident that I can excel at some areas.
At least I find joy in the things I do... I love and treasure my teaching periods and interaction with my students, including CCA students. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I sense that I have taught them something, given them advice and they take it, or even to bring a smile to their face. I find joy in organizing fieldtrips because I myself want to play, and desire for students to fall in love with Geog on the fieldtrip (cos there's so much you can learn!)
Chien asked why I don't just hire someone to complete my marking. Well, first I lack the finances, second I don't want to give up this opportunity to guide the kids' development. Through marking, I also get to know my students better, and it's a great way to interact with them - through comments and advice on their scripts.
Ok, enough blabbering. Part of the purpose was to blog about it when I'm still positive~ So that when or if I become pessimistic and drowning in work, I can come back here to read this entry and remind myself to stay positive and strong! And may this entry be of some encouragement to you too! =)
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Nostalgia...
So how was everyone's Chinese New Year? How was the harvest? Heh.
Mine was poor... but partly my fault as well. Why? Because I pon-tang-ed some houses I was supposed to visit. Heh. Now thinking back, maybe the ang baos would have more than made up for the arduous travelling time! Heh. Oh well...
Anyway, I finally visited my nanny. Oh man... how I absolutely love this lady! I always feel so loved whenever I visit her... a haven which she has constructed for me... a nostalgic place filled with love. Heh ok, enough. Anyway, she is one lady who has seen me through my worst tantrums, my first *ahem*, a period when I couldn't speak much Chinese and she could only speak Chinese, the frustrating rush every single morning and the irritably me with insufficient sleep, the picky eater, etc. She survived all of those, and still loves me for who I am!
She still remembers all my little quirky habits! And she never fails to comment on whether I have grown taller, fatter or lost weight, or whether my meat is hard / soft! Hahaha! She always gives me this smile when she sees me, and always has faith in me. And she knows exactly what I love to eat, even though I am unaware at times! Heh.
For example, she fed me a generous portion of black olive vegetable from the can (one of the nostalgic favourites of mine), fermented beancurd, chap chye, steamed fish with fermented soy beans mixed with vinegar and red cut chilli and porridge. She knew that I love it spicy, and even knew that I would finish picking all the beans! (And I had done it unknowingly!)
Amazing!
And as I almost dozed off on the sofa, she commented that in the past, I could never spend more than 10 minutes sitting on that sofa, cos I would automatically doze off horizontally and she would have a hard time waking up to go into the room to sleep! Heh. Now the sofa is a tad bit short for me to lie on! Haha!
And her house has not changed much. I still remember how I loved to sit beside the fridge in the kitchen cos that was the most cooling place, and talk to her as she cooked. Man... I could never resist her cooking! I learnt how to eat all the varieties of vegetables (not vegetation) cos she's a lover of veges. I also first learnt that sesame oil was very fragrant, and I called it "pang1 pang1". Whenever she used it to season meat, I would never fail to take a deep breath of it! And how I was the only "weird" one who would sit there beside her and appreciate the gnawing of braised duck neck and the tearing apart of fish head, etc. All those times when I felt the thrill of picking the glutinous rice from the normal rice during "Dumpling Festival" (haha!)... so that she can make "kee chang" for me.
She can always be counted on. A vivid memory was how she walked all the way to my primary school to pick me up when I was the last one to be picked up and the gate was about to close. And all the times she helped me find a Chinese character from the newspapers when I didn't know how to write it. And I knew she was in fact a very wise woman, who didn't have the opportunity to study. Heh. And she never failed to make it laugh cos she's amusing and she finds me entertaining. Haha!
Alright, enough said. I need to make it a point to visit her more often, and not survive 2 years without seeing her. There was a time when I dreamt of her and knew I was missing her too much.
Oh well, that's my token of appreciation to her on my blog. =)
Mine was poor... but partly my fault as well. Why? Because I pon-tang-ed some houses I was supposed to visit. Heh. Now thinking back, maybe the ang baos would have more than made up for the arduous travelling time! Heh. Oh well...
Anyway, I finally visited my nanny. Oh man... how I absolutely love this lady! I always feel so loved whenever I visit her... a haven which she has constructed for me... a nostalgic place filled with love. Heh ok, enough. Anyway, she is one lady who has seen me through my worst tantrums, my first *ahem*, a period when I couldn't speak much Chinese and she could only speak Chinese, the frustrating rush every single morning and the irritably me with insufficient sleep, the picky eater, etc. She survived all of those, and still loves me for who I am!
She still remembers all my little quirky habits! And she never fails to comment on whether I have grown taller, fatter or lost weight, or whether my meat is hard / soft! Hahaha! She always gives me this smile when she sees me, and always has faith in me. And she knows exactly what I love to eat, even though I am unaware at times! Heh.
For example, she fed me a generous portion of black olive vegetable from the can (one of the nostalgic favourites of mine), fermented beancurd, chap chye, steamed fish with fermented soy beans mixed with vinegar and red cut chilli and porridge. She knew that I love it spicy, and even knew that I would finish picking all the beans! (And I had done it unknowingly!)
Amazing!
And as I almost dozed off on the sofa, she commented that in the past, I could never spend more than 10 minutes sitting on that sofa, cos I would automatically doze off horizontally and she would have a hard time waking up to go into the room to sleep! Heh. Now the sofa is a tad bit short for me to lie on! Haha!
And her house has not changed much. I still remember how I loved to sit beside the fridge in the kitchen cos that was the most cooling place, and talk to her as she cooked. Man... I could never resist her cooking! I learnt how to eat all the varieties of vegetables (not vegetation) cos she's a lover of veges. I also first learnt that sesame oil was very fragrant, and I called it "pang1 pang1". Whenever she used it to season meat, I would never fail to take a deep breath of it! And how I was the only "weird" one who would sit there beside her and appreciate the gnawing of braised duck neck and the tearing apart of fish head, etc. All those times when I felt the thrill of picking the glutinous rice from the normal rice during "Dumpling Festival" (haha!)... so that she can make "kee chang" for me.
She can always be counted on. A vivid memory was how she walked all the way to my primary school to pick me up when I was the last one to be picked up and the gate was about to close. And all the times she helped me find a Chinese character from the newspapers when I didn't know how to write it. And I knew she was in fact a very wise woman, who didn't have the opportunity to study. Heh. And she never failed to make it laugh cos she's amusing and she finds me entertaining. Haha!
Alright, enough said. I need to make it a point to visit her more often, and not survive 2 years without seeing her. There was a time when I dreamt of her and knew I was missing her too much.
Oh well, that's my token of appreciation to her on my blog. =)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Forgiveness as an issue?
Why is it that I always feel like I'm knocking my head against the wall? Time and again... time and again... It always looks so tempting. Or is it just cos I'm so dumb to see that there's actually another way round it?
Or is it cos my perspectives are all wrong? Maybe I should really try to see things from God's point of view. That I am here to serve Him, and not me. And if things were to happen in the opposite manner (or another manner), then maybe it's His way of telling me i"t's not time yet... wait", or "no, this is not appropriate", or that He's testing me to see how I fare (how I handle the situation) and I've failed His test again.
Where's the faith? Where's the strength?
How do I say "I'm not important"...
If forgiveness is really my issue here, I really do need lots of strength. I know that God forgave all my sins (however hedious) and loved me so much that He sent Jesus down to die for me. And that I have no right to not forgive others, because I am a sinner too.
But when do I say "enough is enough"? Is there a limit? Do I even have a right to put a limit to it?
You know, I always felt that forgiving is a weak person's job. To forgive because there's nothing else you can do. But when you 'punish' the wrongdoer, you are actually punishing yourself as well. There's always this load burdening you, and you get literally tired in the process. It's easy to say "I don't care" but frankly, we cannot don't care.
But when you are put into the situation, to forgive requires lots of strength. The strength to actually accept it, to actually let it go, to give freedom back... and to gain freedom in return. It definitely isn't a weak person's job... but a job which requires lots of inner strength.
Or is it cos my perspectives are all wrong? Maybe I should really try to see things from God's point of view. That I am here to serve Him, and not me. And if things were to happen in the opposite manner (or another manner), then maybe it's His way of telling me i"t's not time yet... wait", or "no, this is not appropriate", or that He's testing me to see how I fare (how I handle the situation) and I've failed His test again.
Where's the faith? Where's the strength?
How do I say "I'm not important"...
If forgiveness is really my issue here, I really do need lots of strength. I know that God forgave all my sins (however hedious) and loved me so much that He sent Jesus down to die for me. And that I have no right to not forgive others, because I am a sinner too.
But when do I say "enough is enough"? Is there a limit? Do I even have a right to put a limit to it?
You know, I always felt that forgiving is a weak person's job. To forgive because there's nothing else you can do. But when you 'punish' the wrongdoer, you are actually punishing yourself as well. There's always this load burdening you, and you get literally tired in the process. It's easy to say "I don't care" but frankly, we cannot don't care.
But when you are put into the situation, to forgive requires lots of strength. The strength to actually accept it, to actually let it go, to give freedom back... and to gain freedom in return. It definitely isn't a weak person's job... but a job which requires lots of inner strength.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Saturday fun
I finally had a good time of play! Yay!
I was awakened to home-made Arabbiata pasta... heh. How many of you actually have your kitchen transformed into an Italian kitchen, with a chef which takes pride in combining the aromatic flavours of herbs and exquisite ingredients to produce an unforgettable meal/s? *grin* Thank God for Auntie Linda!!
The bright, shining sun tempted us into a fun day outdoors frolicking on the beach! We invited Auntie Linda and Uncle Pino along... Heh. It felt like they were the parents bringing their kids to the beach on a weekend! So off into the choppy waves Kel and myself went... as we rowed our way to the seafood restaurants, drifted along with the waves till we were a tad bit too close to the gigantic ships, played ji-go-pak while rocking in our banana boats... before paddling endlessly back to shore.
On the shore, we found Auntie Linda waiting for us. Heh. So it was another round of fun and games! We played volleyball with my cutie 'Number 5' red ball ball till the wind threatened to blow it off course and into the sea. Then we switched to chatek for a while before finding it too tiring. In the end, we settled for frisbee!! We had such a thrilling time throwing, jumping and catching it in weird positions and throwing it almost immediately again! Man... I laughed so hard! Heh. And we wouldn't have stopped if somebody hadn't nagged. Heh. I like playing with Auntie Linda. Do you know that we played chatek in my hall for more than an hour?? Heh.
To top it off, we had subway for dinner.
"Subway... Eat fresh!"
It's healthy and yummy! Although the ABNN guy at subway not only cheated our feelings, but was also rude to us! Hmph. Oh, and if your tolerance level of spiciness isn't exactly high... maybe you would wanna skip the jalepenos... =)
I was awakened to home-made Arabbiata pasta... heh. How many of you actually have your kitchen transformed into an Italian kitchen, with a chef which takes pride in combining the aromatic flavours of herbs and exquisite ingredients to produce an unforgettable meal/s? *grin* Thank God for Auntie Linda!!
The bright, shining sun tempted us into a fun day outdoors frolicking on the beach! We invited Auntie Linda and Uncle Pino along... Heh. It felt like they were the parents bringing their kids to the beach on a weekend! So off into the choppy waves Kel and myself went... as we rowed our way to the seafood restaurants, drifted along with the waves till we were a tad bit too close to the gigantic ships, played ji-go-pak while rocking in our banana boats... before paddling endlessly back to shore.
On the shore, we found Auntie Linda waiting for us. Heh. So it was another round of fun and games! We played volleyball with my cutie 'Number 5' red ball ball till the wind threatened to blow it off course and into the sea. Then we switched to chatek for a while before finding it too tiring. In the end, we settled for frisbee!! We had such a thrilling time throwing, jumping and catching it in weird positions and throwing it almost immediately again! Man... I laughed so hard! Heh. And we wouldn't have stopped if somebody hadn't nagged. Heh. I like playing with Auntie Linda. Do you know that we played chatek in my hall for more than an hour?? Heh.
To top it off, we had subway for dinner.
"Subway... Eat fresh!"
It's healthy and yummy! Although the ABNN guy at subway not only cheated our feelings, but was also rude to us! Hmph. Oh, and if your tolerance level of spiciness isn't exactly high... maybe you would wanna skip the jalepenos... =)
Friday, February 09, 2007
Half Nalgene vs Half Nelson
My poor Nalgene almost became a "half Nalgene" when it got the greatest shock in its life! Poor thing...
I received the SMS from someone who was starving and wanted to eat OCK currypuff. Since I had promised to feed her, I left my comfy environment in Starbucks and headed for the nearest OCK. I had expected it to be at Heeren, so I ran there, as if I was in some Adventure Race. In the process, I almost got hit by a car emerging from the carpark, due to the complicated roads just outside PS. Then as I was dashing cross the road, poor Nalgene hopped out of the bag pocket, attempting to roll along with its owner, but it suffered a concussion instead and was in a state of shock. More beckoned... The owner had arrived at the other side of the road before she discovered Nalgene's actions! And lo and behold! The vehicles kept heading towards now-petrified Nalgene! And everyone looked on in anticipation... with "oohs" and "ahhhs" for sound effect. The real test of a Nalgene. Luckily it was spared the unthinkable destruction... and it survived with just some scratches from the rugged road.
And to calm my nerves (apart from Nalgene's), I found OCK at Meridien! Yay!!! And so I achieved my goal of getting the curry puffs. Heh.
Watched "Half Nelson" with ABC. Apparently it's an SCGS kinda show, cos several of the people we met in there were SC gals! And they had a part to play in recommending it! Hmm, is it cos they have teachers who lead double lives in SC? Or do they themselves lead double lives?? Hmm... *something to ponder on*
Anyway, here's something I took away from the film.
"Knock Knock"
"Who's there?"
"An interrupting cow."
"An interrupting cos who?"
"Mooo...."
Heh.
It's a good show anyway. Definitely more intellectual than the ranks of a chick flick or dumb comedy. And it's about teachers! And opposing forces... Heh. Catch it if you can! But don't sit too near the screen. It causes one to become pukey.
I received the SMS from someone who was starving and wanted to eat OCK currypuff. Since I had promised to feed her, I left my comfy environment in Starbucks and headed for the nearest OCK. I had expected it to be at Heeren, so I ran there, as if I was in some Adventure Race. In the process, I almost got hit by a car emerging from the carpark, due to the complicated roads just outside PS. Then as I was dashing cross the road, poor Nalgene hopped out of the bag pocket, attempting to roll along with its owner, but it suffered a concussion instead and was in a state of shock. More beckoned... The owner had arrived at the other side of the road before she discovered Nalgene's actions! And lo and behold! The vehicles kept heading towards now-petrified Nalgene! And everyone looked on in anticipation... with "oohs" and "ahhhs" for sound effect. The real test of a Nalgene. Luckily it was spared the unthinkable destruction... and it survived with just some scratches from the rugged road.
And to calm my nerves (apart from Nalgene's), I found OCK at Meridien! Yay!!! And so I achieved my goal of getting the curry puffs. Heh.
Watched "Half Nelson" with ABC. Apparently it's an SCGS kinda show, cos several of the people we met in there were SC gals! And they had a part to play in recommending it! Hmm, is it cos they have teachers who lead double lives in SC? Or do they themselves lead double lives?? Hmm... *something to ponder on*
Anyway, here's something I took away from the film.
"Knock Knock"
"Who's there?"
"An interrupting cow."
"An interrupting cos who?"
"Mooo...."
Heh.
It's a good show anyway. Definitely more intellectual than the ranks of a chick flick or dumb comedy. And it's about teachers! And opposing forces... Heh. Catch it if you can! But don't sit too near the screen. It causes one to become pukey.
