Thanks For The Memories

Monday, 27th Jul 2009 was officially my last day at KHS. It had been an interesting 1 yr 4mth +/- stay there. I encountered all sorts of experiences and had the privilege to teach all levels, and some really interesting classes and pupils.

It's hard to summarize all that I've been through or met up with over those 16 odd months. I'll break them down via my main feelings -->

==============

Awkwardness: It was 'funny' interacting with the P1s and P2s initially. For my height and size, I appeared like a giant to them. Thankfully, by the time I arrived at the school, it was after term 1, i.e. Mar 08. I guessed if I came in at the same time as they did, I would properly have scared the freak out of them. LOL. I still remember how I tried to 'appear' nicer, by lowering my tone (given my usual loud voice) and 'tuning' to a more friendly (or should I say childish? :P) voice.

==============

Disappointment: I was left hugely disappointed at not being able to take over a CL class of my own for the 2nd half of 2008. Main reason behind that was because it was thought that my further studies will begin in July '08 and that I will leave the school shortly after returning from Jun '08 holidays. Therefore it would have been disruptive if I were to be assigned a class, only to leave after barely a month or 2's time.

==============

Interesting: I think I can quite safely say that I'm one of the only/few CL teachers who had experience of teaching other subjects. Yes, teach, not just relief the period. I remember hearing from a P2 form teacher how her class marveled that "陈老师很厉害。他会讲/教英文!" after standing in for her for a day. LOL. These kids can be so naive. They actually think CL teachers can only speak CL or have a low command of ENG. :P

Math topic I covered on included money and solving problem sums using diagrams. Science topic were mainly on living things and energy. My shortest stint of non-CL lesson was Music. Only one period. LOL. Remember it was near National Day and taught P2 class Stephanie Sun's and Kit Chan's songs.

Longest stint for non-CL lesson has got to be Social Studies. Originally meant to take over for 2 wks, my spell as a P5 and P6 SS teacher was extended by another 1-2 wks cos of fellow colleagues medical leave extension. Guess my SS classes will remember me for all my flow charts and diagrams which I used for lesson explaination and their notes taking.

Oh, before I forget, I took P5 Health Ed during the time when I relieved for SS too.

==============

Fun: There were some interesting and nice characters around - ranging from colleagues to students. Life was never dull in school. Once in a while you do get the odd routine day but with conversations/interactions amongst colleagues, CCAs, lessons etc. there were always ups and downs. I will remember the kids from P1/5 and P1/6 of 2008 for they were my 1st encounter with classes in KHS. Its heartening that even after a year, they still greated me or called my name from afar whenever they see me in sch, with the same enthusiasm. ^_^

My '08 P6 SS classes were a nice bunch. I can't say they are the super 乖 type. :P I mean its normal for them to try a bit of mischief upon seeing a new face, a 'part timer' (since they knew I'm not taking over for permanent) and let alone, a CL teacher teaching SS. But they were co-operative and fun-loving. I'm all for jokes and humour, to the right limit/extent and I would like to think that these students' characteristics helped played a part in making my SS lessons not as plain and boring as it might have been.

P5/7 '08 was my favourite class, no doubt. And till date, it still is (i.e. P6/9 '09). Again they are not the super 乖 type. They can be cheeky. They can be loud. They can be mischevious. They can be funny. They can be disobedient at times. But that's the 'child' in them. They have never showed defiance. They just express themselves the way they prefer/want to. They called and gave me a nick which I'm got known for in sch but I could always felt the respect they show, both as a teacher and friend. Like I told the class on my last day in sch, one thing I like about them is them being themselves (of course, without overstepping the boundary).


[Thanks for the fun photo taking session too! ^_^ Will load the pics to Facebook acc - which I've been lazy to maintain for ages. LOL.]

P6/1 '08 was another nice class. It was a pity I couldn't know them better/earlier. They were such a studious class but in no way were they nerdy. LOL. They enjoyed their PE lessons and what more can a PE teacher ask for? In a way, they are really the type who work hard and play hard. Never had a problem conducting PE lessons with their class.

==============

Apologetic: I feel sorry for my PE classes. Yeah, I really do. I'm not trained in this field, so for my lessons, I don't conduct activities like teaching 'new' games such as rugby, hockey, floorball etc. That meant my PE classes were usually playing ball games - soccer, basketball, captains ball etc. Thankfully, majority of them enjoy playing these games but I still feel guilty because if they have had another PE teacher, they would be able to experience new games/activities.

==============

Only told some closer students when my last day was, but the form teacher of my P4 CL class actually informed them about my pending departure so I was greeted with well wishes and messages of thanks such as “陈老师，谢谢你叫我们读书。” from those kids. The feeling was a little funny cos in class they can be quite mischievous. Out of a sudden, they appear so polite and sensible. LOL. They were also pretty thoughtful and creative, creating cards/crafts as group gifts for me (e.g. each card is from multiple students).



Also received a card with wishes from my colleagues from CL department - both AM and PM sessions. It was a nice touch of gesture and I certainly did not see it coming. They have been really helpful and friendly along the way and I have never felt out of place working, talking, joking and gossiping with them. LOL. And dare say, the CL department is one really united family. ^_^



And some other tokens from other students (sorry if I never post photo of those you gave me, cos there were quite a lot so couldn't post all up). Others included items such as Famous Amos cookies, Toblerone chocolate, basketball and notepad.



Okieee, shall end my looonggg post here. As per the topic, thanks for the memories. I will/should be back to visit all of you. Wait for (and don't forget) me, ya? :P Meanwhile, take care, work hard and best wishes!!! ^_^ Will miss ya all! Till we meet again!

What A Team Talk!

(It's an excerpt from the movie "Any Given Sunday" by coach Tony D'Amato, portrayed by actor Al Pacino)

More about the movie dated 1999, here (wiki).



Transcript of the video -->

I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, 'til we’re finished.

We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the shit kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think -- I mean -- I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the f*ckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'!

I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin' to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin' is! The six inches in front of your face!!

Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!

That’s a team, gentleman!

And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

That’s football guys.

That's all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do?

Impossible Is Nothing

Last than 7 days left already. Time really flies! Take away wkend and one day's absence for registration matters and that's 4. Don't be absent from school on my last day, ok? Take photos and bid goodbye. *_^

Liverpool's match vs. Singapore is this coming Sunday! Besides being influence by my bro, one main reason behind my support for LFC is it really makes you feel like part of the one big family. The club's actions and way of carrying out itself sticks to its motto of "You'll Never Walk Alone". This is in no small part ofreference to the fans who lost their lives in 2 of football's greatest club disasters, which LFC, was coincidentally involved in - Heysel 1985 and Hillsborough 1989. IMO, despite its success in both England and Europe, its has never portrayed itself that cocky 'Big Brother' amongst the footballing scene (unlike, say, the Man Utd/Real Madrid of today).

2 landmarks of recent years that remain vividly stucked in my mind are the treble season under Gerard Houllier and the amazing, 'miraculous' comeback in Champions League Final under Rafael Benitez. Besides the clear resolution of the compliation, another thing I like about this video is the appropriate use of the instrumental pieces - Requiem of A Dream (0:00 - 1:45) and Europa (1:46 - 4:38).

Welcome to Singapore, LFC! And bring on season 09/10!

(Liverpool FC vs. AC Milan - Impossible is Nothing)

Believe - In Me & With Me

You really gotta. No matter how big or small the matter is. There's a will, there's a way.

There are so many times I'd wanted/at least thought about/could have given up. But life is a lot more complicated than just saying yes or no, or, choosing between options. There are many more implications.

One thing I do know is if I had stopped believing, I won't be able to sit here and make this post, right here, right now. This particular issue had been, has been and is lingering in the mind now. It's not going to be settled within a blink of an eye. And obviously it won't get any easier by simply believing. But at least, by believing, there's something for me to look forward to, even if I'm just one small step closer to get it done and dusted with.

I'm not praying for miracles. Neither am I hoping for solutions. I believe and I am working towards them. I may have gotten lost along the way, or took longer routes instead, but I BELIEVE, even if not everyone does.

There can be miracles, when you believe
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe

Trust, Faith, Tolerance & Determination

These are the 4 words I would use to sum up the past 2 weeks.

Before I go on, I just want to thank everyone around me who have showed support, care and concern in every bit of way, be it minute, small, big or large.

(Edit: Got asked/sounded from some about farewell tokens/gifts, coincidentally from a couple on the same day. Thanks for the thought, appreciate it. Don't need to bother, ok? Seriously. Nice knowing your thoughts. Don't waste the $. If really want to give me something than just a card will do, ok? For memory sake. ^_^)

A pat on the shoulder (note: not a tickle or 'slap' from the back, okie?), a smile as we walk pass each other, a little conversation/joke/gossip that we share, a greeting even as you saw me from afar and even a tag on the tag board!

Simply cos you bothered spending time on me. ^_^ Even for a split second, yes. It showed I have a place in your heart, be it as a friend, buddy, teacher, colleague etc.

I am an emo and sentimental guy so these kind of small things go a long way towards touching me and warming my heart. Thanks soooo much and do remember to keep them coming! ^_*/~

Let's start off with the latter 2. Tolerance and determination. I used to have a scroll with a big "忍" on it, hanging near my bedside, cos its one of the 1st I received as a gift, during my sec school years. It has the small letters "知足常乐、能忍自安" by the side. I love it cos in life not everything goes your way so many a times, you have to adapt/tolerate a.k.a. tahan. If you think negatively, its submission, giving in to situation. But if you look on the other side of the coin, then its a test of one's own character as well as 'solving' problems in a more creative way. In the midst of it, you may stand to gain more than you lose. It had a sorry fate though. Cos of a bad and dark patch in my life, she felt it was inauspicious and threw it away... ...

This 忍耐 and 决心 thingy resurfaced in my mind cos towards the end of last month I caught an episode of the repeat telecast of 《卧薪藏胆》. It triggered my thoughts and led me to searching for more on the main lead, King of Yue kingodm, Gou Jian (勾践). Found another drama on the same story online and having been watching it (abt 23 more episodes to go) on tudou.com.

The gist of the story is: Gou Jian of Yue killed Fu Chai's father during a war, Fu Chai, who succeeded his father as King of Wu, took revenge 3 yrs later after emerging victorious in his expedition against the traditionally weaker Yue.

Gou Jian surrendered and served as a slave under Fu Chai in Wu for 3 yrs before being released. During this period, he suffered all soughts of ill fate and did all soughts of things to 'numb' Fu Chai's feelings in a bid to win his trust. One of the acts involve tasting of his faeces. Yes, as in 吃大便. More of 尝 than 吃 though.

He plotted and masterminded a revenge 20 yrs later (after reforms within his country, preparation etc.) During this period, he self-inflicted hardship of sleeping on bed made of sticks and branches, as well as tasted gall bladder daily, using the bitterness to remind himself the taste of defeat and humiliation as well as reaffirm his desire for revenge- both self and national.

• 卧薪藏胆: "Later, people use it to describe one who endures self-imposed hardships to strengthen one's resolve to realize one's ambition."

Now to the last part on faith and trust. Ehmmm to cut it short (realise my post is getting super long as I type ^_^"), its been sometime since I felt such a high degree of trust and faith shown in me by someone. Its hard to put in words. More of something you can feel than describe. I can really sense the person's faith in entrusting the responsibility to me - its more than intuition, you just know it when you do, besides with the person being such an honourable guy, there can never be a tinge of hypocrispy in his actions.

Based on previous experience, I know that trust once broken, NEVER can and NEVER will be mended. It will never be 100% again. Even if its 99%, that remaining 1% of doubt can mean so much. Therefore, just want to let him know I really appreciate it, will do my best in what's entrusted (even though he's not a superior) and that he has really earned my respect (very much so in the past, even more so after this). This has gotta be one of the few things that brightened up my past 1.5 wks.