Monday, April 30, 2007
A tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich
The world lost its most influential cellist recently, when Mstislav Rostropovich passed away. He lived through a golden age of twentieth century music, had so much cello music written for him by the great composers past and present, and also also committed himself to humanitarian efforts. I cannot let his passing go unmentioned here - do read about this remarkable man at Wikipedia if you like, and read interviews of him here and here. I'll be listening to his performances everyday for the week, from his Beethoven sonatas to the monumental stuff like his Shostakovich concerto.
More on MBTI
Read this about what the MBTI has to say about my supposed type:
Similarly, I cannot help but want to impress upon my students how important it is to get a quality education in school and do well at this level. I sound like the prophet of doom while the kids, of course, live their lives merrily, and can't be bothered to ask themselves why they even bother to be in school everyday.
It is frustrating, but that's the way it is. In both situations, change comes very slowly if at all, and all one can do is to keep trying to make small differences in our own sphere of influence.
People with ENTJ preferences are natural leaders and organization builders. They conceptualize and theorize readily and translate possibilities into plans to achieve short-term and long-term objectives. They readily see illogical and inefficient procedures and feel a strong urge to correct them - to organize people and situations to get them moving in the right direction.I guess everyone have their pet peeves, and the above pretty much sums up mine. Clearly, everyone will like to work in an efficient environment, do the necessary in the best way with the least effort, and therefore I can't help but want to make things better if I see inefficient policies in the system, even if all these things were here before I came into this environment.
Similarly, I cannot help but want to impress upon my students how important it is to get a quality education in school and do well at this level. I sound like the prophet of doom while the kids, of course, live their lives merrily, and can't be bothered to ask themselves why they even bother to be in school everyday.
It is frustrating, but that's the way it is. In both situations, change comes very slowly if at all, and all one can do is to keep trying to make small differences in our own sphere of influence.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A good lesson
Teachers juggle many roles - educator, entertainer, administrator, counselor, disciplinarian, leader etc. Often, students only like teachers to take on the role of the entertainer however, because above all, they like fun. NIE taught teachers to be creative in class and entertain them with party tricks before the real teaching starts, though most teachers like the Stressed Teacher knows that good results only comes from serious practices in content knowledge and not through innovative quackery.
So what do I have to do when I was asked to do revision for the kids, and get observed for it at the same time? I should come up with sample questions, teach them examination techniques, and how to tackle questions correctly, and at the same time not fail my observation assessment by making it a dull and insipid exercise.
So. First, the contents. Come up with questions for them to practice. Plan organisation of class, time for each part for the lesson. Thought of the idea of getting them to do peer marking so that someone can look through their paper, if not myself, after each section.
Next, the entertainment.
So what do I have to do when I was asked to do revision for the kids, and get observed for it at the same time? I should come up with sample questions, teach them examination techniques, and how to tackle questions correctly, and at the same time not fail my observation assessment by making it a dull and insipid exercise.
So. First, the contents. Come up with questions for them to practice. Plan organisation of class, time for each part for the lesson. Thought of the idea of getting them to do peer marking so that someone can look through their paper, if not myself, after each section.
Next, the entertainment.
- Music played when they are supposed to read the passage quickly to tackle the coming questions. I chose Kreislers' delightful little gems, nice and chirpy and moderately paced too (they were all clamouring for Jay Chou though).
- Nice pictures to adorn the powerpoint slides - 2 of the stories were about soccer, so seeing Beckham trying a curler gets them excited.
- The promise of entertainment after the whole ordeal - showing them those funny videoclips circulating around will do the trick here.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Pedagogical discourse
Today my supervisor told me that I should use simpler language when talking to the kids. He said he caught several words from me which he was sure will leave the kids scratching their head, but he could only remember the word 'moderate' when I tell the class that I can lower my voice only if they do so too.
Speaking (and even SMS-ing) in complete sentences and with respect and reason is second nature to me when I am in the teaching mode. Much of it is influenced by my stint of being a kayaking coach, when I was mentored by JB and got lots of practice learning to incorporate technical terms in the delivery of lessons. My personal beliefs also play a part here - a teacher should be professional and polished when on the job, sensible and reasonable, giving and commanding respect by his bearing. It also stems from my personal teaching philosophy, that one needs to be a role model to students, so a teacher must speak the way they will want to be spoken to themselves. Also, I personally do not believe in talking down to people, and adolescents are the most egoistic people alive to boot.
Most importantly, I think Secondary 1 students are still young and I believe they still can learn language by picking it up unconsciously, even though initially they might not understand all that I say. Just a familiarity with difficult words by frequent exposure will eventually lead to understanding and application. Using simple language and an authoritative voice can help make a teacher's lesson easier to manage perhaps, but then a chance to introduce cognitive dissonance and hopefully some small revelations will be lost. They will not be able to break out of their own stereotype about themselves as children/students/teenagers, pick up a better vocabulary, model formal discourse, and learn about communicating with respect and courtesy.
And these things, above all, are what makes a character. Any bit of factual knowledge in books pales in significance compared to the value of acquiring eloquence and an admirable personality.
Speaking (and even SMS-ing) in complete sentences and with respect and reason is second nature to me when I am in the teaching mode. Much of it is influenced by my stint of being a kayaking coach, when I was mentored by JB and got lots of practice learning to incorporate technical terms in the delivery of lessons. My personal beliefs also play a part here - a teacher should be professional and polished when on the job, sensible and reasonable, giving and commanding respect by his bearing. It also stems from my personal teaching philosophy, that one needs to be a role model to students, so a teacher must speak the way they will want to be spoken to themselves. Also, I personally do not believe in talking down to people, and adolescents are the most egoistic people alive to boot.
Most importantly, I think Secondary 1 students are still young and I believe they still can learn language by picking it up unconsciously, even though initially they might not understand all that I say. Just a familiarity with difficult words by frequent exposure will eventually lead to understanding and application. Using simple language and an authoritative voice can help make a teacher's lesson easier to manage perhaps, but then a chance to introduce cognitive dissonance and hopefully some small revelations will be lost. They will not be able to break out of their own stereotype about themselves as children/students/teenagers, pick up a better vocabulary, model formal discourse, and learn about communicating with respect and courtesy.
And these things, above all, are what makes a character. Any bit of factual knowledge in books pales in significance compared to the value of acquiring eloquence and an admirable personality.
Earth Day part II
Read this interesting article about how the monthly movement of the European Parliament between places for meetings produces huge amount of carbon dioxide emissions from the need to operate the different venues. And interestingly, this was published on the day the parliament was supposed to set up a committee to tackle climate changes.
Isn't it interesting how something like having different meeting places can produce such extensive consequences? Think for example, what happens when you choose to throw paper waste (or even worse things) into the toilet bowl instead of the waste bin. It gets flushed down and produced more sewage which needs to be treated, thereby wasting unnecessary energy which wastes taxpayer's money and contribute to carbon emission. More treated sewage will be discharged out to sea, and some which are cannot be degraded like plastic will litter the beaches all over. And we all know what plastic out at sea does for the marine environment.
The situation is exacerbated when you go to developing countries to enjoy their beaches and you do the exact same thing in the beach resort. Many places do not treat their sewage before discharging them out quietly into the sea somewhere - think about that when you take a dip into the nice green and supposedly clean waters.
In our world today, where everyone live so densely together and when the world is bursting at the seams with people, small actions by each individual can contribute to huge problems. If everyone throws a single piece of plastic bag away each day, if everyone leaves the tap flowing for 10mins more everyday etc, the effect is immeasurable. So, be empowered with knowledge and be sensible enough to think for the world at large.
Isn't it interesting how something like having different meeting places can produce such extensive consequences? Think for example, what happens when you choose to throw paper waste (or even worse things) into the toilet bowl instead of the waste bin. It gets flushed down and produced more sewage which needs to be treated, thereby wasting unnecessary energy which wastes taxpayer's money and contribute to carbon emission. More treated sewage will be discharged out to sea, and some which are cannot be degraded like plastic will litter the beaches all over. And we all know what plastic out at sea does for the marine environment.
The situation is exacerbated when you go to developing countries to enjoy their beaches and you do the exact same thing in the beach resort. Many places do not treat their sewage before discharging them out quietly into the sea somewhere - think about that when you take a dip into the nice green and supposedly clean waters.
In our world today, where everyone live so densely together and when the world is bursting at the seams with people, small actions by each individual can contribute to huge problems. If everyone throws a single piece of plastic bag away each day, if everyone leaves the tap flowing for 10mins more everyday etc, the effect is immeasurable. So, be empowered with knowledge and be sensible enough to think for the world at large.
Today
Morning:
2 classes of PE. with my NIE supervisor coming down to observe my second lesson. The lesson plan worked well with the first class, except for the fact that 2 notorious kids in the class refused to join the lesson (because they were caned 3 times each yesterday and their butt pain).
I use the same plan for the observation class, and it was ok. I got a B+ grade and comments like being aware of the movement of the students when they break off for activities (some wandered off far away when i was involved elsewhere) and to note the language I use in class (it is supposedly too nuanced and advanced for the kids to handle).
Noon:
Went into lit class and my recalcitrant kid insisted on doing Sudoku instead of my work. I snatched it away, he threw a temper, we shouted a few lines to each other ("don't do don't do lah!"), and I ignored him for the rest of the period. Next, his accomplice slept during the whole time and didn't react to my instructions, and got shouted by me too. The class was quiet for once.
A girl in the class timidly asked: "Is it tough to be a teacher?" That melted my heart - that at least one out of all see my efforts.
But it's back to business later - 6 students are supposed to see me after school to do some explaining.
2 classes of PE. with my NIE supervisor coming down to observe my second lesson. The lesson plan worked well with the first class, except for the fact that 2 notorious kids in the class refused to join the lesson (because they were caned 3 times each yesterday and their butt pain).
I use the same plan for the observation class, and it was ok. I got a B+ grade and comments like being aware of the movement of the students when they break off for activities (some wandered off far away when i was involved elsewhere) and to note the language I use in class (it is supposedly too nuanced and advanced for the kids to handle).
Noon:
Went into lit class and my recalcitrant kid insisted on doing Sudoku instead of my work. I snatched it away, he threw a temper, we shouted a few lines to each other ("don't do don't do lah!"), and I ignored him for the rest of the period. Next, his accomplice slept during the whole time and didn't react to my instructions, and got shouted by me too. The class was quiet for once.
A girl in the class timidly asked: "Is it tough to be a teacher?" That melted my heart - that at least one out of all see my efforts.
But it's back to business later - 6 students are supposed to see me after school to do some explaining.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Earth Day!
It's Earth Day!
In my opinion, everyday should be Earth Day. That means we should be taking steps to reduce waste and energy consumption, no matter how small the effort is. Any way to help at all is significant, and if others see you go out of your way to help Earth's cause, you will impress them about the seriousness of the issue and how everyone should chip in to help.
That also means NTUC should get people to pay for plastic bags everyday instead of just once a month. To all those absurd people who argues that they can't bring so many bags to put their groceries in - if you have the intention to go for a big grocery shopping trip, why can't you make the necessary preparations? Kudos to Ikea for making people realise that plastics comes at a price, not only for them but also for the environment.
Visit Earthday Network and promote the cause!
Google gives us an ominous warning for not helping Earth out on their search page.
In my opinion, everyday should be Earth Day. That means we should be taking steps to reduce waste and energy consumption, no matter how small the effort is. Any way to help at all is significant, and if others see you go out of your way to help Earth's cause, you will impress them about the seriousness of the issue and how everyone should chip in to help.
That also means NTUC should get people to pay for plastic bags everyday instead of just once a month. To all those absurd people who argues that they can't bring so many bags to put their groceries in - if you have the intention to go for a big grocery shopping trip, why can't you make the necessary preparations? Kudos to Ikea for making people realise that plastics comes at a price, not only for them but also for the environment.
Visit Earthday Network and promote the cause!
Google gives us an ominous warning for not helping Earth out on their search page.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Think you know me?
Here's my latest MBTI results; I don't think this is the 'full' version of the test, but oh well, it's just for fun anyway.
ENTJ (Extrovert-Intuition-Thinking-Judging)Does sound like me eh?
- Frank, decisive, assume leadership readily. Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies, develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organizational problems. Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. Usually well-informed, well read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. Forceful in presenting their ideas.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Interesting read
This entire blog is so interesting, i wish the ST is equally exciting. Try to calm down though, doesn't do anyone good to get upset over things that cannot be changed...
Sources of instant entertainment
When I am stressed out, I
- Open Practical Origami by Rick Beech and try to fold a model inside;
- Read the essays I wrote for my literature modules in NUS;
- Watch sports video clips (climbing, canoe polo, badminton, cycling etc) to get a moment of excitement;
- Revisit old photos (esp. those of my kayaking expeditions) and relive the experience in my mind;
- Listen to my favourite pieces of music again, and pretend I'm playing it;
- Or just simply surf the internet aimlessly, looking for books to mooch for, drop by forums, read articles online.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Staff Meeting
Our school's fortnightly staff meeting is insufferable.
- Excluding AOB, there's 4 items on the agenda. P says she wanna finish at 4pm (we started at 2.15pm). Unfortunately, Her first item on 'pupil management' took us all the way to 4pm. It took 1 hour 25mins to finish item 1.1.2 on the agenda. The issue? Deciding when and in what situation should students be deemed as 'late'. In the end, the talk lead freaking nowhere. But that's ok, it's the norm anyway.
- We talked about punishment - P says we got to make sure children do not get hurt when we punish them, say when we ask them to do 10-20 pushups. This male teacher had the cheek to say angrily that he asked a student to do 50 pushups for misbehaviour, and therefore fully deserved it. The student was talking when he was asked to do his work. The teacher complained that he became outright defiant and refused to do the pushups properly. Hello?? What did he expect? I see a normal kid and a stupid teacher who knows nothing of child psychology.
- Then, he went on to complain that the teacher aides are not doing their work in keeping neighbouring classes quiet, and even personally attacked them by saying that they all look so soft and have no ability to do anything for the school. I mean, what the hell. It is the teachers who come late for lessons that give the students a chance to create havoc in the first place!
- The P and VP arranged for all the staff to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, buying into the smoky 'learning technologies' of Adam Khoo. Supposedly, it will help us be better teachers. Hm. (Do read this interesting article on the Skeptic's Dictionary on MBTI)
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Dream Vacation v1.1
Ok here's a plan for a big holiday, to be done almost entirely overland:
- Travel up north all the way to China, then take the Trans-Siberian railway all the way to the end of Russia;
- Enter Europe from the East, slowly travelling up North from there (Romania-Hungaria-Czech Republic-Poland - Sweden etc)
- After exploring the Scandinavian countries, go back down Southwest Europe (Holland-Belgium-Luxemborg-France-Spain)
- Cross the Mediterranean to Morocco, travelling East towards Asia and skirting up the topside of the Caspian Sea. (Algeria-Libya-Egypt-Israel-Jordan-Syria-Turkey-Georgia-Kazakhstan)
- Worm my way down to India, then to Nepal for a trek of the EBC and ABC
- Go over to Tibet next, and take the Qinghai Express to Beijing.
- Explore Beijing and the rest of China till I go broke and fly back to SG.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Music for sale!
Hey people, I just did some clearing up, decided to keep my favourites and sell the rest that I don't really listen to, help me out! You can also get a free disc from the list below if you choose to. Let me know if something catches your eye!
CDs to Give
| Composer | Title | Artist | |||
| Arvo Pärt | Alina | Vladimir Spivakov | |||
| Beethoven | Symphony No.5, 6, 7, 8 | Kurt Masur | |||
| Beethoven | Complete String Quartets | Medici Quartet | |||
| Berkeley etc | Berkeley, Williamson, Panufik Violin Concertos | Yehudi Menuhin | |||
| Bloch etc | Bloch Violin Concerto, Baal Shem; Serebrier Poema Elegiaco, Momento Psicologico | Micheal Guttman | |||
| Bruckner | Symphony No.5 | Franz Welser-Möst | |||
| Debussy | La Mer, Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun etc | Charles Munch | |||
| Debussy | Complete Piano Music Vol 1 (Incl. Preludes, Images, Children's Corner | Werner Haas | |||
| Debussy | Complete Piano Music Vol 2 (Incl. Etudes, En Blanc et Noir, Suite Bergamasque) | Werner Haas | |||
| Dvorak | String Quartets No.61, 96 'American', 105, 106; Quintet Op.81, 97 | Talich Quartet | |||
| Dvorak | Complete symphonies | Libor Pešek | |||
| Dvorak | Symphony No.7, 8, 9 | Sir Colin Davis | |||
| Dvorak etc | Dvorak/Sibelius Violin Concerto | Salvatore Accardo | |||
| Elgar/Bruch | Elgar/Bruch Violin Concertos | Yehudi Menuhin | |||
| Faure | Piano Music | Pascal Roge | |||
| Franck etc | Franck Symphony in D, Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 'Reformation' | Lorin Maazel | |||
| Geminiani | 12 Concerti Grossi | I Musici | |||
| Grieg etc | Grieg Cello Sonata, Intermezzo; Sibelius 2 Pieces, 4 Pieces, Malinconia | Truls Mørk | |||
| Haas etc | Haas Quartet No.2, Schulhoff Quartet No.1, 5 Pieces | T'ang Quartet | |||
| Handel | Water Music, Music for the royal fireworks | Chamber Orchestra of Europe | |||
| Haydn | Seven Last Words (for string quartet) | Emerson String Quartet | |||
| Holst/Elgar | The planets, Pomp & Circumstance Marches | Sir Neville Marriner | |||
| Hubay | Violin Concerto No.3, 4; Variations on Hungarian Theme | Hagai Shaham | |||
| Ives/Barbar | Ives String Quartet No.1, 2; Barber String Quartet | Emerson String Quartet | |||
| J.S. Bach | Actus Tragicus' Cantatas BWV 4, 12, 166, 196 | Cantus Cölln | |||
| J.S. Bach | Cello Suites | Pierre Fournier | |||
| J.S. Bach | Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin | Nathan Milstein | |||
| J.S. Bach | Cello Suites | Ralph Kirshbaum | |||
| Liszt | 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies | Robert Szidon | |||
| Mendelssohn | Complete Songs without Words | Ilse Von Alpenheim | |||
| Nielsen | Symphony No.1, 2 | Jukka-Pekka Saraste | |||
| Pachelbel | Chamber Music (Trio sonatas) | London Baroque | |||
| Prokofiev | Symphony No.5, 7 | Andre Previn | |||
| Prokofiev | String Quartets, Sonata for 2 Violins | Emerson String Quartet | |||
| Prokofiev | Violin Concerto No.1, 2 | Dmitry Sitkovetsky | |||
| Ravel | Complete Music for Piano Solo | Werner Haas, Alceo Galliera | |||
| Schnittke | Complete String Quartets | Kronos Quartet | |||
| Schubert | Schwanengesang | Wolfgang Holzmair | |||
| Schumann | Liederkreis Op.39, 12 Gedichte Op.35 | Matthias Goerne | |||
| Schumann etc | Melodramen' of Schumann / Liszt / Strauss / Ullmann | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau | |||
| Sibelius | Complete String Quartets | Sibelius Academy Quartet, New Helsinki Quartet | |||
| Sibelius etc | Sibelius/Khachaturian Violin Concertos | Hu Kun | |||
| Strauss | Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan | Herbert Von Karajan | |||
| Strauss | 2 Last Songs, Capriccio (final scene), Death and Transfiguration | Böhm, Karajan | |||
| Tan Dun | Ghost Opera | Kronos Quartet | |||
| Tchaikovsky | Symphony No.6/ Marche Slave/Capriccio Italien | Eugene Ormandy | |||
| Tchaikovsky | String Quartets No.1, 3 | New Philharmonic Quartet | |||
| Vainberg | Works for Solo Cello (incl. 24 Preludes) | Yoseif Feigelson | |||
| Various | Andrew Manze 'Portrait' | Andrew Manze | |||
| Various | Nuevo | Kronos Quartet | |||
| Various | Eugene Ysaye: Complete violin recordings | Eugene Ysaye | |||
| Various | Music for 2 Violins | David, Igor Oistrakh | |||
| Various | Paganini Violin Concerto No.1, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Sarasate Carmen Fantasy | Leonid Kogan | |||
| Various | Vainberg Violin Concerto, Sarasate Romanza Andaluza, Gipsy Airs, Carmen Fantasy, Gershwin pieces,Ravel Tzigane, Saint-Saens Havanaise | Leonid Kogan | |||
| Various | Sibelius Humoresque, Lalo Symphonie Espagnole, Saint-Saens Violin Concerto No.3, etc | Aaron Rosand | |||
| Various | Myslivecek B-flat Violin Concerto, Viotti Violin Concerto No.22, Spohr Violin Concerto No.8, Schubert Rondo | Elizabeth Wallfisch | |||
| Various | Biber Passacaglia, Hartke Caoine, Reger Chaconne, Rochberg Caprice Variations, Bach Partita No.1 | Michelle Makarski | |||
| Various | Virtuoso Violin Music from the Twentieth Century (Incl. from Bo Linde, Moses Pergamont, Peter Christoskov etc) | Emil Dekov | |||
| Vivaldi | La Cetra Op.9 | Monica Huggett | |||
| Wolf | Morike Lieders | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau |
CDs to Give
| Paganini Paganini | Music for Violin and Guitar I 24 Caprices | Scott St.John Ilya Kaler | ||
| Szymanowski | Violin Concertos No.1, 2; Nocturne and Tarantella for Violin and Piano | Karol Szymanowski | ||
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
You must read this!
This was an awesome social experiment done by the journalists at the Washington Post, who got virtuoso American violinist Joshua Bell to play at an MRT station and see what happens.
It's incredible, not least because I wish I could do such a thing myself. I would have treated that guy to coffee if I was there, for playing the greatest piece of solo music for the violin ever written for everyone to appreciate and ignore.
Read all about it here!
It's incredible, not least because I wish I could do such a thing myself. I would have treated that guy to coffee if I was there, for playing the greatest piece of solo music for the violin ever written for everyone to appreciate and ignore.Read all about it here!
Monday, April 09, 2007
A week's break!
Wow.
The right knee cellulitis of mine gave me an MC for the whole week, and I'm totally enjoying it. Today, I spent the day ripping my CDs into MP3s, came up with a list of CDs that I hope to get rid of, made the greenish kueh with the glutinuous rice base with my mum, and am now doing productive work still.
I actually got a NIE literature assignment due this friday, so this break can give me time to work on it. I also want to complete all the PE lesson plans that I need till the end of my Practicum. After which, I will need to complete part 2 of my lit assignment due next friday.
I will also be snacking on chips and shaking leg while working, playing badminton against the wall if I can, enjoy my music, and watch TV occasionally if I want hehe.
4 more days of this. Wonderful...
The right knee cellulitis of mine gave me an MC for the whole week, and I'm totally enjoying it. Today, I spent the day ripping my CDs into MP3s, came up with a list of CDs that I hope to get rid of, made the greenish kueh with the glutinuous rice base with my mum, and am now doing productive work still.
I actually got a NIE literature assignment due this friday, so this break can give me time to work on it. I also want to complete all the PE lesson plans that I need till the end of my Practicum. After which, I will need to complete part 2 of my lit assignment due next friday.
I will also be snacking on chips and shaking leg while working, playing badminton against the wall if I can, enjoy my music, and watch TV occasionally if I want hehe.
4 more days of this. Wonderful...
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Save the Earth!
It is long overdue, but I finally got to watch The Inconvenient Truth just now. Some take-away lessons:
I had a revelation yesterday - when we talk about saving water in Singapore, isn't it actually about saving energy? We get all our potable water from rainwater, desalination plants or Newater technology, so isn't it really about saving potable water because they consume energy to become potable? No one talks about saving rainwater right, unless you want to do that to save your own water bills. This is what we can do:
- Save every watt of energy you can - switch off appliances, change to fluorescent bulbs etc.
- Try to cycle or walk anywhere - Kids in Nepal walk hours to and from school, so what's the problem...
- Try not to get a car at all if possible. Or get a 'green' car.
- Try not to have kids - this is to reduce impact on environment, and also that you don't let poor kids face Nature's wrath.
I had a revelation yesterday - when we talk about saving water in Singapore, isn't it actually about saving energy? We get all our potable water from rainwater, desalination plants or Newater technology, so isn't it really about saving potable water because they consume energy to become potable? No one talks about saving rainwater right, unless you want to do that to save your own water bills. This is what we can do:
- Try to wash utensils together - Many people waste large amount of water washing a single cup just so that they can use it to drink a few sips; and after that they will wash it again!
- Shave less.
- Bear with the stink and flush less.
- Take quick showers! Girls particularly take really long showers; to counter this...
- Girls should keep short hair for the sake of the environment.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Hospitalised!
After that bike accident a while back, my right knee suddenly got swollen on tuesday night, and it became painful to rest my weight on it, and too stiff to flex comfortably. Nevertheless, I still went to school because the PE department is busy with NAPFA and I didn't want anyone to cover my class for frisbee lesson since I did not send the lesson plan to anyone.
I hobbled around the school for the day, got throbbing pains when I try standing after being seated, but I survived the day somehow, even staying back to make sure some of my recalcitrant kids finish their literature assignment properly. I got to the AMK polyclinic close to its closing hour, and the doctor referred me to Alexandra hospital because an X-ray needs to be done and the clinic's diagnostic section is closed already. So I went AH, the doctor said it is probably 'septic arthritis' (internal inflammation), and X-ray confirmed that it is not a fracture. I was to be warded for observation to see if I respond to 'an aggressive course of antibiotics'. Here's my knees when I got my bed finally -
It is huge - the picture doesn't do justice to its size. Anyway, Karen went out to tabao Subway since I can't go out of there already, and I slept pretty early after she left. Which is fortunate because the hospital's day starts at 7+ am, and they woke me up just to change the sheets, and breakfast is served at 8am.
Hospital food is pretty good actually, though the quantity is paltry for me; here's the lunch for me on Thursday. I had fish fillet in mango sauce this afternoon, that was yummy too.
It's a pretty pointless life in hospital, you just slack the whole day in bed and get interrupted occasionally to feed and visit the toilet. I finished Jodi Picoult's Songs of the Humpback Whale before I sleep after starting on it after lunch. Man, with the imposed self-reflection time, I pity those people who lacks an intellectual life and cannot appreciate the arts - it is a reminder for us all to visit our ah gongs and ah mas if they are in hospital. I also read through 8 days twice, thought of an ultimate 300 day travelling route and budget, tried to do some personal goal-setting, and folded origami pieces from 3-inch squares.
What a way to spend the last long weekend of the year.
(P.S. Read about my right knee 'cellulitis' here.)
I hobbled around the school for the day, got throbbing pains when I try standing after being seated, but I survived the day somehow, even staying back to make sure some of my recalcitrant kids finish their literature assignment properly. I got to the AMK polyclinic close to its closing hour, and the doctor referred me to Alexandra hospital because an X-ray needs to be done and the clinic's diagnostic section is closed already. So I went AH, the doctor said it is probably 'septic arthritis' (internal inflammation), and X-ray confirmed that it is not a fracture. I was to be warded for observation to see if I respond to 'an aggressive course of antibiotics'. Here's my knees when I got my bed finally -
It is huge - the picture doesn't do justice to its size. Anyway, Karen went out to tabao Subway since I can't go out of there already, and I slept pretty early after she left. Which is fortunate because the hospital's day starts at 7+ am, and they woke me up just to change the sheets, and breakfast is served at 8am.Hospital food is pretty good actually, though the quantity is paltry for me; here's the lunch for me on Thursday. I had fish fillet in mango sauce this afternoon, that was yummy too.
It's a pretty pointless life in hospital, you just slack the whole day in bed and get interrupted occasionally to feed and visit the toilet. I finished Jodi Picoult's Songs of the Humpback Whale before I sleep after starting on it after lunch. Man, with the imposed self-reflection time, I pity those people who lacks an intellectual life and cannot appreciate the arts - it is a reminder for us all to visit our ah gongs and ah mas if they are in hospital. I also read through 8 days twice, thought of an ultimate 300 day travelling route and budget, tried to do some personal goal-setting, and folded origami pieces from 3-inch squares.
What a way to spend the last long weekend of the year.(P.S. Read about my right knee 'cellulitis' here.)
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
A quick note
I am here wasting time in the computer workroom while waiting for my relief class to start. Anyway, somehow my right knee got terribly swollen yesterday evening and I couldn't walk normally/flex or extend my leg without pain now. For those who had made appointments with me for the rest of the week, I might have to put your aeroplane, very sorry! Will let you all know again.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The daily ups and downs
This morning my PE class was really bad. I'm not sure who is the 'bad' one, me or the students. The previous week, I took a gamble and used my lesson with them for observation by my NIE supervisor, wanting to challenge myself to handle any class ably. Well I failed miserably, they can't bothered, and getting them seated for instructions was next to impossible.
Today the same thing happen. When i gave my instructions and let them loose, they all wandered around like sheeps. I had to go to every single group to get game started, and it doesn't take long before they all stop and wander around again. And I have to deal with this childish one who lied to me over a petty incident; I eventually detained him for the entire recess to nag at him and showed him I meant business. At the end of the lesson, I told them that for the next lesson, those who want to play during game activities will carry on, while the rest will 'pretend' to be engaged by standing at the sidelines of the field, not to hinder those who are enjoying themselves. Let's see how things go next week.
Anyway, after lit class in the afternoon I got a relief class for 3N1. I gave them the mathes classwork their teacher assigned them, and they just went straight at it without prompts from me. That was something that made my day, and I wished I know my maths better so that I could tutor them for their test tomorrow.
So moral of the story is: Never give up, because there will be students who appreciate your work, though there are many that are still lost in their la-la land. I used to go crazy experiencing these moments that makes my mood fluctuates wildly throughout the day, but know I know I just need the positive experiences to lift me up again.
Today the same thing happen. When i gave my instructions and let them loose, they all wandered around like sheeps. I had to go to every single group to get game started, and it doesn't take long before they all stop and wander around again. And I have to deal with this childish one who lied to me over a petty incident; I eventually detained him for the entire recess to nag at him and showed him I meant business. At the end of the lesson, I told them that for the next lesson, those who want to play during game activities will carry on, while the rest will 'pretend' to be engaged by standing at the sidelines of the field, not to hinder those who are enjoying themselves. Let's see how things go next week.
Anyway, after lit class in the afternoon I got a relief class for 3N1. I gave them the mathes classwork their teacher assigned them, and they just went straight at it without prompts from me. That was something that made my day, and I wished I know my maths better so that I could tutor them for their test tomorrow.
So moral of the story is: Never give up, because there will be students who appreciate your work, though there are many that are still lost in their la-la land. I used to go crazy experiencing these moments that makes my mood fluctuates wildly throughout the day, but know I know I just need the positive experiences to lift me up again.
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