1st Day of School 2009

Cant sleep last nite, by the time i fell asleep at abt 5plus am, it was almost time to wake up to go to work. it always happens on the day before sch re-opening. coz there will be alot of thought running thru my mind about what i wanna do in class..

2dae is my 1st day with 5N1. 47 students, 3 MIA. lets see if i will get to see them on monday. so, 44/47 aint that bad? not really, expected full attendence. Most of them have nv seen me before, then i told them, i was their class invigilator during their N level papers, some remembered. anyway, all of them will know who i am already. so.. tats that.

Supposed to be meet-the-class session up till 10.45am, followed by recess, then prize giving. it din happen though... the trophies were not ready. so it will happen on monday. practically, i was with the class from 7.45am to 12.30pm. my co-form teacher wasnt there,she came in at 12.10pm. had to 'entertain' the class for the 5 hours. well, at least i got the checking of details done already.principal came in at about 12pm to talk to them, so that gave me a slight break too.

the class? young adults actually. laid out some ground rules like.. "i dun wanna smell cigarette smoke/smell in my class", " dun use ur hp in my class, coz i will know it"..etc.. well, these 2 rules were already flouted before the school day ended. i'm not disappointed, juz that i think the class will need time to adjust to me, just as i need time to adjust to their 'needs'. works both ways.

as what i mentioned earlier, i have good vibes about this class, and i believe they can surpass the expectations being placed on them. i'm confident of that.

came back, ate noodles i bought, then fell into a deep coma at abt 5pm, only woke up at 10plus pm. real tired. now..its 12.30am.. i'm wide awake already. feel like gng out..hhmm.. also wondering how my bunch of 2N1 are doing in their new year.the rest of the ZHSS people i know are already either in their sec4 yr (nothing to wonder, juz work hard like mad), or already left ZHSS. so many thoughts in my mind now.

oh btw, i HEARD i might be soccer teacher in charge of the c div team, rumours last week was tat i might be in red cross.. who knows wats gng to happen next week? haha..

i'm looking foward to the camp, and i really hope the 47 Onesters will go. hhmm..

Getting ready for School..

2dae's the 'start of year' staff meeting. well, technically, the new yr hasnt started.but this meeting will happen in all schools 2dae, or 2moro, or like in skss, both days. was already sleepy when the meeting started at about 8.30am, coz i was watching footy last nite, then i cldnt sleep till about 5am. from 5am till i woke up at 7am.. i was in a semi-concious state.. where u din really know u slept or u were awake.. hard to describe, but i think u know what i mean.. so its 6.50pm now.. and if i lie on my bed, i'll definitely fall asleep.

ok..the meeting was the usual stuff, juz like in zhss. then i found out that my form class is going to be 5N1. to me, its quite exciting. the last 6 months.. i didnt have any form class, and it felt weird. being the 'oldest' students in the school, i would expect alot from them, really. we'll see what happens when i meet them on friday. in fact, i have met them during the N level exams a few months back. i was their invigilator most of the time, so i can recall some faces. this class has.. get this.. 47 students.18 ladies and the rest (i cant count, sorry) are young men. 29 isit? ok..anyway.. yea, i'm really excited... for now. :) the school camps are gng to happen in week 2. this week's friday is considered to be week 0. the whole school is having various camps at the same time. it think its really cool. sec1s will b in sch, sec2s will be in labrador park, sec3s will be in Johor, sec4/5s will be in Sarimbun scouts camp. all the teachers will be deployed at various locations throught the 4 days 3 nites, and teachers dun get to go home. which is good, then i'll have more time to get to know the 47 babies.

we'll see how it goes, but i have good vibes about this class, and i hope i'm not being over-optimistic. gng to lie down now, may bring niki and cody out for a short walk later..

ps: i did try to blog a few times using my handphone, but when i wanna post, the stupid sgwireless logged out and i lost all my entries. sigh. nvm lor..

somethin to look foward to?

Been quite busy these past few weeks.. and also.. i dun feel like posting anything. Been cracking my numbskull to plan for the year end ICT learning carnival for teachers, just before we go for or holidays. in ZHSS, we wld usually go to a country club and attend a 2 day course or a seminar, over here, i'm planning for this sch event in sch. i'm not comparing both schs lah.. besides, having it in sch is less of a hassle, and its much nearer anyways. this thing will happen on the 12 and 13 of november.

then on the 15th, to the 24th.. i'm m going to Europe . good lah, atleast theres somethin more exciting and not so mundane. will be gng with 2 teachers and 16 students. frankly, i nv brought students to a place so far away. from what i can remember, the countries we will be visiting are Germany, Austria and Italy (FORZA ITALIA!). I know we will be gng to this World War 2 Nazi concentration camp + museum in Germany, then theres this lake we are going to, we are also going to Venice in Austria, like what we all study in SS. In Italy, we will be going to Siena, and Mdm Koh, one of the teachers who's gng, is actually quite excited abt tat coz apparently there's a factory outlet there where branded goods are sold at very cheap prices. branded as in Gucci, versace etc. well, we'll also be going to Rome , to the Colosseum i.e. the movie Gladiator where alot of blood was spilt in the past.gng to the Parthenon too. i wonder if i can get to see the Olympic Stadium.. home of Roma football club. hhmm.. in Germany, probably i can get to see the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich and Munich 1860 (i think). we are also stopping over Qatar in the Middle East on our way to Munich from Singapore. will be spending 1/2 day there for a city tour. and personally, my hghlight for the fieldtrip.. MT VERSUVIUS! YES, WE'LL BE GNG TO MT VERSUVIUS! and the tragic Pompeii. i can finally get to see the volcano and Pompeii for myself after mentioning all these while for lessons under Plate tectonics. and if i read the itineary correctly, we are going up Mt Versuvius :) well, tats for 2 months later, in the meanwhile, gotta plan for the pre fieldtrip activities for the students.

back to work.

i have time to blog now... Hah

hi everyone, long time no post. Haven been feeling myself lately. I have learnt that ppl whom u trust can juz let u down when circumstances change. shant tok abt tat already.

I gave up my nokia e51 for a nokia e71 last week. Quite happy wif it. I m using it to blog now. It has a qwerty keypad whereas the e51 doesnt. This e71 doesnt lag. Its quite a fast sucker. for some reason, i m not at all smitten by the apple iphone.. Which is gd! Save money.

I m currently in sg expo hall 2 now. Its teachers mass lecture now. Started at about 2.30pm. About 3000 teachers are cramped into these vy uncomfy seats. The speaker is dr. Liu tai kher. I think he has done alot of urban planning for sg. too bad he toks in a mono tone. Looking ard, i can see ppl falling asleep. Think there will b a jam leaving e carpark later. Think i will go Giant after this, its on my way back.

Got to know a few skss students better as they gave me more insight into their class. This past 2 weeks, i hv also been helping out in the o level oral exam. Kinda fun but tiring also. Cant wait for sept hols to come... But i m down for n level invigilation till 3rd sept. Quite excited abt e 4th tho. Think it will b a good break in the company of close friends.

Think i will stop here.... I think he will be tokin till 5pm. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz:.....

i have time to blog now... Hah

hi everyone, long time no post. Haven been feeling myself lately. I have learnt that ppl whom u trust can juz let u down when circumstances change. shant tok abt tat already.

I gave up my nokia e51 for a nokia e71 last week. Quite happy wif it. I m using it to blog now. It has a qwerty keypad whereas the e51 doesnt. This e71 doesnt lag. Its quite a fast sucker. for some reason, i m not at all smitten by the apple iphone.. Which is gd! Save money.

I m currently in sg expo hall 2 now. Its teachers mass lecture now. Started at about 2.30pm. About 3000 teachers are cramped into these vy uncomfy seats. The speaker is dr. Liu tai kher. I think he has done alot of urban planning for sg. too bad he toks in a mono tone. Looking ard, i can see ppl falling asleep. Think there will b a jam leaving e carpark later. Think i will go Giant after this, its on my way back.

Got to know a few skss students better as they gave me more insight into their class. This past 2 weeks, i hv also been helping out in the o level oral exam. Kinda fun but tiring also. Cant wait for sept hols to come... But i m down for n level invigilation till 3rd sept. Quite excited abt e 4th tho. Think it will b a good break in the company of close friends.

Think i will stop here.... I think he will be tokin till 5pm. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz:.....

i have time to blog now... Hah

hi everyone, long time no post. Haven been feeling myself lately. I have learnt that ppl whom u trust can juz let u down when circumstances change. shant tok abt tat already.

I gave up my nokia e51 for a nokia e71 last week. Quite happy wif it. I m using it to blog now. It has a qwerty keypad whereas the e51 doesnt. This e71 doesnt lag. Its quite a fast sucker. for some reason, i m not at all smitten by the apple iphone.. Which is gd! Save money.

I m currently in sg expo hall 2 now. Its teachers mass lecture now. Started at about 2.30pm. About 3000 teachers are cramped into these vy uncomfy seats. The speaker is dr. Liu tai kher. I think he has done alot of urban planning for sg. too bad he toks in a mono tone. Looking ard, i can see ppl falling asleep. Think there will b a jam leaving e carpark later. Think i will go Giant after this, its on my way back.

Got to know a few skss students better as they gave me more insight into their class. This past 2 weeks, i hv also been helping out in the o level oral exam. Kinda fun but tiring also. Cant wait for sept hols to come... But i m down for n level invigilation till 3rd sept. Quite excited abt e 4th tho. Think it will b a good break in the company of close friends.

Think i will stop here.... I think he will be tokin till 5pm. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz:.....

Now and Then..

Its the beginning of July.. I have reservist this week, but i'm on MC 2dae.. somethin's up with my tongue and the back of my throat.. i cant swallow nor eat properly. its swollen.. and its damn painful. wonder if it will actually help me lose some weight though.. .

well.. my hair.. its virtually gone.. i din intend it to be... juz tat the barber was over-enthusiastic when he heard that i was gng for reservist.. argh! i feel like i'm botak rite now.. anyway, food in the cookhouse in camp was nice. lemme recall.. sweet sour fish, chicken wing with gravy, vege, soup (served seperately in a bowl), rice and banana/s. oh.. after eating.. u juz leave the untensils in the washing area.. dun hv to wash.. this is a far cry when i was in NS. we had rice tat were usually hard like sand grains, sometimes they are clumped 2gether like 'riceballs'. we had to bring our eating tray to the cookhouse.. it looks like a dog tray, and we had to wash the tray after every meal... and if u finish ur food much later than everyone else.. sorry.. the detergent would have finished by then.. then we would bring our dirty tray back to the bunk and wipe it clean with toilet paper. and yes, it would be ready for the next meal. one of my most vivid memories of the food... there was this morning we had..'mee soto'.. i was quite happy.. until i saw the food. clumps of yellow noodles, that has a weird sour taste.. and the soup.. its juz grey water,'soto'? forget abt the chicken.. no such thing.. one of the most hilarious sights u will see 2dae, are NS boys pulling their trolley bags as they walk.. juz like SIA stewardesses! we had the 'ali baba' bag last time.. all ur belongings are dumped into this big green duffel bag and slung over 1 shoulder.. after a while.. the shoulder will be sore and the skin of the contact area will be falimng red, sometimes even peeling off..

after 2 weeks plus in the new sch.. one thing is for certain.. there are lesser chances for me to forge strong and close relationships with my students. many of my classes, they dun see me long enuff per week. my NT SS classes.. i have 3 classes, but they see me for 2 periods per week. i have 2 classes of 3E elect. geog...i see them for 3 periods per week. ok.. i have 2 sec1 classes of 1NA EL...6 periods per week. tats all.. i dun have a form class. i dun have a cca. so my contact with students is actually quite minimal. its not all bad tho.. it means i have more time to deal with my Infocomm & Tech duties. i think this is wat the principal had in mind.

yest nite.. i went to compasspoint to buy some fishball noodles (tats my staple food). wanted to try to eat..coz i was really hungry but the mouth was very painful.. and i knew there was a high chance of me bumping into some skss ppl. well, i did.. but i think they din see me.. i remember this gal's name. stella. coz she did a presentation for their geog project.. and i asked her how come she's so tanned.. tats y i remembered. i think compasspoint is hotspot of skss students (oh, we call them SKY Achievers ie. Seng Kang Youth Achievers)... so probably i wont be gng there so often anymore..

getting drowsy... think i'll go rest now..

My 1st week as a SKSS teacher..

Monday was abit hard to get used to.. ahhh.. 1st day of sch. Reached school at about 7.10am. Ok. Not that bad. Then asked the teacher sitting behind me (mdm Hartini) what time are we expected to be in the hall for flag raising. She said errr... when you are ready just go up. That was something ' new' to me. In zhss, 7.20m, everyone will be outside sitting down, the teachers would be scampering to the classes. It's more laid back over here. Don't get me wrong. I like it. ok... the parade commander uses a mic, and the lyrics of the national anthem appears on the projector screen. Pledge taking is different too. The parade commander leads the pledge line by line. Different from Zhss.

My job scope? I have 2 classes of 3E elective geography. that's 6 periods. I have 2 class of INA EL. That's 12 periods. And 3 classes of NT SS. That's 6 periods. Total 24. That's the norm, coz of my that... appointment. I don't have a form class, I don't have CCA either.Kinda helping to work out the details for the E-learning Day 2moro.My classes are actually what I expected, So its ok. Manageable.My 1N kids insist on calling me 'MR GAVIN! I asked them why. They say their timetable says its 'GAVIN: Hah... ok. My colleagues had a good laugh though, when 1 came knocking at our back door and asked for MMR GAAHHveen: Something Avril Ho w/d be proud of.

Other things that were said to me... 'cher, why your pencil box so big??' Well, the few days came and went, Friday was the sch's Cultural Night held @ AC S Barker Road. I don't have a form class, so had to sit right in front. By that time I was quite tired and as the show went on, I felt a sense of loss. Back in zhss, when there were performances, I would go' hey! That's so and so.!!' But that night, I dun know any of the faces. I really felt down. Even after the performance, some of the teachers were taking photos of their students dressed to the nines. I dun have any, I just left and gave mdm Hartini a lift on my way home. hope I dun take long to get over this feeling of anonymity.

well, on a happier note, lemme juz share the things i really appreciate in this school.

1. i can take a lift to class, especially those on the 4th floor.
2. there's this auntie mdm aw, who will prepare desserts everyday for the staff, fo eg, green bean soup, red bean soup, ching thng.. very nice lady :)
3. the toilet is in the office, juz outside my room, 20paces away :) going to toilet has nv been easier :)
4. i can park my car juz outside my room, ie. i get out of the car, the door to my room is there, open up the door.. "hi everyone!", then its my desk already.
5. there are coffee machines ard the staffroom.
6. i dun have to use a card to photostat papers for students.
7. i like the librarian, mdm priscilla. very friendly and helpful.
8. in fact, the staff there is a very warm bunch. (of coz i dun wanna jump to any conclusions yet, in any workplace, there will be exceptions)
9. the P and VP are funny guys. yes, they have a sense of humour.
10. the sch gives me an opportunity to do somethin different from what i have been doing the past 7 plus to 8 years.

i have linked this multiply account to my blogspot. so watever updates, the blogspot wld also update.. so hopefully, tat will revive my dead blog. hahaha.. i'll stop here.

TESTING CROSS POSTING...

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FOB.. yea rite

we think this is velly..funny! whoof!