Plato
i could probably use this post as my reflections for the week =P [
Nick
@
9:45 AM ]
This week has been nothing short of tiring. Coming in as a new teacher, and in the PE department no less, it seems that many expectations have been heaped on us. Apart from the normal curriculum planning, there are many other before and school activities as well. I have two duty days of Health and Fitness training for the overweight students per week and also up to four evenings of floorball trainings to oversee because I've been appointed the teacher-in-charge of floorball.
The good thing is, the students were not as bad as I'd expected and I am actually looking forward to teaching them what I know. However, it would be imperative that I tune my lessons to suit them because they are a really active bunch.
Thus far, it has really been an eye-opener for me. The learning curve in this school is indeed steep (as I'd been warned) and a teacher's life here is really hectic. There is just so much to learn, see and do.
And I'm typing this from the staff room on a saturday =P
ok of course i won't put that last line in my reflections =P
in other news... had a semi-failed attempt at cooking fish and chips last night... blergh... seems that my batter wasn't thick enough and in the end the fish didn't seem to have much crisp at all... thank goodness i bought bread crumbs as well so i guess at least there was still a little crunch =P i really need to speed up on my cooking though... baby had to wait for like 2 hours for dinner to be done... and she was helping me prepare as well... imagine if i had been doing it alone *faints* i think she would have just gone to the coffee shop downstairs to get her dinner =P
i really hate cleaning up after dinner though...
anyway... baby's n-team training is coming up... better get her to eat properly to keep her healthy... and more massages after trainings on the way! i just hope that i'll be awake enough to do all these for her... i probably will once i'm used to the unearthly waking hours... but nonetheless... it's the best time to shower more TLC right? =P
luckily... friday nights are still not taken up... at least we'll have an evening to ourselves and even it's doing nothing... it's fine =] we're happy just doing nothing and just slacking with each other... call us weird but i guess that's one of the common things that we share =]
okies... better get some work done... till next time!
*hugs*
and what a hectic 2 days so far! ok... today was better... yesterday was plain busy the entire day man... [
Nick
@
6:39 PM ]
i'm somewhat wary of the expectations of the Principal... and not to mention the potential workload... but the good thing is that the school... contrary to popular belief... is actually quite ok... fellow teachers are pretty friendly as well... it's also useful to have at least a familiar face in the staff room... and oh... Lou's colleague's wife is there teaching as well... in the PE dept somemore! *faints*
day 1 went like this: briefing, observations, quick lunch, more observations, induction programme, floorball coaching...
yes... i've already been given the team to jaga... fast right? that means for this wk... wed, thurs and prob sat will be spent babysitting them as well... goodness.
but well... i guess i'm settling well... pampering by BEee these few days so all the stresses and worries of the day were successfully dissipated =] and a nice surprise note in school really brightened up the day =]
alrighty... more updates to come in the future... but for now... ta! need to hit some balls to relieve some tension...
feels good to be taken care of at times =P thanks baby!
oh well... technically my last week in NIE... before going out to the "real world" of teaching... i'm not exactly looking forward to it... but it's a natural progression that i guess all of us have to go through... who knows... it might be better than i expect... but then again... i have no expectations at all... [
Nick
@
3:48 PM ]
some things happened last night that really got me thinking...
have you ever been ashamed of someone who means a lot to you (and if your mind is thinking of someone... no it's not lou) because of his/her actions? it's a pretty crappy feeling but what could you do? confront them? apologizing on behalf of them isn't really going to help... confronting them would just blow up the matter... like i've said before... if it's not helpful to the situation, i'd rather shut my mouth up...
and what's worse is that the person doesn't know what he/she is speaking because he/she doesn't think before speaking... how to change that?
i really thank my dad for teaching me this very important lesson in life.
trust is a really important thing that we all clamour for... and it's quite demoralising that after trying for a really long time... the fruits of one's labour does not show... oh well... i guess i'll just have to try harder then...
blergh... last week of lunches with lou... better treasure them =P
what a way to spend my 1000th post =P
hold me close =]
it seems like i can't really sleep on wednesday nights.. and when the night is deep, the surroundings quiet... the mind starts to wander... [
Nick
@
10:46 AM ]
i miss riley... sometimes i still have the habit of closing my bathroom door behind me because that was what i used to do to prevent that fella from going into the toilet... i miss him greeting me at the door when i come home... i miss him cuddling up next to me as i sleep (minus the fur)...
it really breaks my heart now that he's a semi-stray.
sometimes i think we tend to make decisions with too rational a mind. sometimes when we think too much... we tend to miss opportunities that should arise... but then again... if we jump into something without thinking... we might face consequences that we cannot cope with... so... what's the perfect balance between being rational and taking chances?
i'm really doubting my ability at times.
it somehow feels good that i'm starting from gound zero in tennis... previous modules that i've taken are sports that i've played before and as it turns out... i would be one of the better players in class... but i suck at tennis and somehow it's kind of a refreshing change... no expectations on myself and i can just make mistakes and laugh them off... it was different in basketball, badminton, etc...
how many years do i have left in me in terms of competitive floorball? i was thinking that this might be my last season but my body is telling me i can do a few more years... i've never really felt fitter and faster than i am now... to be frank i was a bit surprised when i took to the courts last night...
and i cringed in bed when the sudden thought of the scary D-word came into my mind... too bad... no one to hug last night... blergh.
sun, sand and the sea... tmr!
1.First and foremost, as most of you already know, I'm really happy with life right now. I'm blessed with a great girlfriend, a happy family and wonderful friends. I would like to thank every one of you who have made my life the way it is right now. Thank you. [
Nick
@
2:18 AM ]
2. I was a really fat kid. But luckily, thanks to my best friend, I shed the excess weight when he dragged me to play basketball and going for runs in secondary school. Thanks bro!
3. I've never really known luxuries in my life because of my upbringing. When I was younger, life was a constant battle between cents and sensibility because of financial troubles that my dad had. So imagine how happy I was when I got my first pair of Nikes when I was 10 (which i wore till i was 16), my first "branded" bag (it was an OP sling bag that I scrimped and saved for) when i was 15 and my first pair of Oakleys at 25 (thanks baby!).
4. I can be considered as a "rebellious" kid. More than once I've defied my parents' wishes: getting my left ear pierced after ORD-ing from the army, riding a motorbike, and the list goes on =P sorry dad and mum!
5. I'm thankful for each new day that i see. Death is my greatest fear and sometimes when i'll cringe at night when the sudden thought hits me. It is the same reason why I don't really like to look at the faces of the dead at funerals. When I was 10, my grandma passed away and I distinctly remember hugging and telling my mum on the night after the funeral that "I don't want to die".
6. I think i have a weird sense of humour. Most of the time I get people rolling their eyes when I attempt to tell a joke. Classic ones include "the green ping pong ball", "white gorilla" and "xiao ming". Ask me to tell you those jokes at your own risk.
7. I was really picky about food when I was younger. My diet was really weird: i'd eat fish balls but not fish, luncheon meat but not pork, and my meals usually only consisted of eggs, chicken and rice. Veg only came recently because of my dear gf =P ok lah... want to live longer to spend more time with her can?
8. I would really like to leave Singapore one day. It's fast becoming a place that I really don't want my kids (if I'll have any) to grow up in, and also it's a place that I don't really want to grow old in. Yes, singapore has all the merits of a good place, but the pace of life and the cost of living is getting way too much to bear. In time, really must sell backside already.
9. I used to be bullied as a kid. When i was pre-school (i never went to nursery), I was bitten on my left armpit because this girl was mad at me. In primary school, I was constantly made fun of because of my size. Things only got better in secondary school. Size does matter when it comes to kids and I'm going to make sure my kid doesn't become a fatso to prevent traumatic experiences like I have experienced when i was a kid.
10. I've never stuck to a certain hobby for long. My track and field attendance in secondary school was about 30%. i tried to take up guitar (self-teach) but i got bored. so the weird thing is that i'm still playing floorball (and i hate hockey) after 4 years, and even my parents and brother are surprised at how i stuck to this sport.
11. The best feeling in the world is falling asleep and waking up beside the one you truly love. Being woken up by kisses starts the day on a really good note.
12. I hate things that I've created or done. I think it's probably because after looking at the finished product, I would find fault with it or i would think of new ideas and that kind of irritates me because i should have thought of it sooner. So far my crappy work has included t-shirts, logos and posters. I still cringe when i see my design portfolio.
13. I believe every human being needs to be hugged at least once a day to survive. The more the merrier!
14. I love rainy days. The weather is cool, and the earth seems to be revitalised after a heavy shower. When i was younger my friends and i used to wait for the rain to come and we would play in the rain en route going home. I still like to walk in very light drizzles, because it kind of makes me feel alive. It's also a perfect time to emo (haven't done that in a while) =P thank goodness i play an indoor sport these days!
15. Last year's trip to Australia was the first time I've set foot outside Asia. Yes, Lou keeps reminding me that Aussie is still Asia-Pacific, but it's nice meeting ang mohs for a change =P I still miss Aussie, and especially Tasmania! It's a must go for people who love the great outdoors =]
16. One major philosophy in life for me is this: "Give everything you can and expect nothing in return". I guess that's the reason why sometimes I can feel taken for granted but hey, it's a good feeling when you can put a smile on someone's face!
17. I love the sea but I don't like swimming in it. When i was little my dad brought me to Underwater World in Sentosa, and I saw this fish called the Stone Fish. Apparently it dwells on the ground and if you accidentally step on it, you would die in a matter of minutes. From them i was so spooked that I still fear stepping on one when I go swimming in the sea.
18. I have many random thoughts, but they're not too random i suppose. It's just that when i see or hear something, i start to link it to another thing and the links continue. Then when i say it out it seems like it's a completely different point!
19. I look a lot into how text is typed. i believe every single punctuation, every single letter means something. For example, there's a difference between "Hi!", "Hi." and "hi...". If you've noticed, most of my "i"s in this note are not in caps. Sometimes i just think that the capital I is just too self-centered and i don't really like using it unless needed.
20. I love to eavesdrop on people on the bus. This has resulted in many unwanted chuckles or smiles coupled with unfriendly stares on the bus.
21. Besides eavesdropping, i have a really bad habit of reading other people's newspapers/magazines/books when i'm on public transport. Don't ask me why, it's just a really bad habit =P sometimes i try to tell the time by sneaking peeks at other people's watches too.
22. I laugh very easily, or has that been said already? I don't believe in suppressing laughter as well. If you're really tickled or happy, just laugh out loud to show that you really are.
23. I love the early mornings. It's always so peaceful and tranquil at around 3am to 6am - no cars on the roads, no people walking on the streets. It's great to see the sky changing from one colour to another. It was my favourite working/study time when i was in school.
24. I never cut my nails on the eve of a floorball game because of supersitition. It's just like how I wouldn't cut my hair before games too.
25. My ultimate wish and goal in life is to have a family of my own. It's a simple goal, but it's deep. With family comes sacrifice, commitment and what-nots. It's not easy, but I guess you'll never know until you try, right?