April's Fools

It's almost the end of March. MADNESS!!!!! It still feels like school started yesterday! Tomorrow is the first of April. It is an old friend's birthday, lost contact with her many years ago though. We've actually got quite a scadalous history, but nevermind!

Tomorrow marks the start of the secnd quarter and am sure that my students will try play some tricks on me. I don't remember trying to play tricks on teachers when I was a student, we attempted, but failed spectacularly!

It was in Primary 6, my class had decided to play a prank on our Form Teacher; I cannot remember the exact nature of the prank though.

But as it happened, she walked into class with a really serious look on her face with a large stack of science worksheets. Then she proceeded to hand out the worksheets one by one, it was the prelim paper of some other school. After we received the whole stack, she made us seperate our desks and annouced that we had 1h 45mins to complete the whole paper!

It was a surprise test that would eat into our recess. Seeing how serious she was, we didn't protest and simply started our work.

Ten minutes into the "test" she stopped the test and annouced, "April Fools!". RIGHT! Our plan had backfired!

That was 15 years ago. It would be really nice to meet her again. But like I posted on a Teacher's Day post a few years ago, if I don't see her within this lifetime again, I know I will see her again beside the crystal sea.

Bizarre Bazaar

Hard to imagine that it has been 3 years to the day of the Falling Spinning Musical. Hard to imagine that all those songs all talked about graduation and questions about life. Back then I was pondering so hard on the choices I had upon graduation, whether to go to NIE or continue with honours or to do something else. Now here I am having graduated and teaching. 

Even those who were year 1s back during the musical would have graduated or would be in their final year now. Some of the participants are even married already. Indeed, seasons of love. 

The band. We still play at friends' weddings today. The best band I've ever had the privilege to work with. 

Those few months in 2005 were really trying ones for me; not unlike this year at all. Listening to all my friends' advice has been really useful the last few weeks. Even though I've got many months to go, plans have to be made. 

Surely there must be something more. Surely there must be something greater. 

Blessed Easter. 

Strange Equation

Time + Tragedy = Comedy

Something my brother told me a while back. How true. Chatted with an old friend today. Strange that I should even says she's an "old" friend since it only seems like yesterday that I met her. But it was almost 6 years ago in NUS, when we were both introduced to the Varsity Christian Fellowship Music Ministry. There was a lot of drama along the way, a lot of emotional pain but time indeed heals all wounds and makes all things new. It's strange how our conversations have changed from God, to music, to philosophy, to love, to educational psychology and now to teaching. I still remember the long lifts to and fro from school, that was 4 years ago! I still remember the pain when it became clear that she wasn't the one. I remember the redemption a year after that when she comforted me in my own pain at the NIE canteen. Today it was all laughs when we chatted over school. This time not as students but as teachers. It was really encouraging what she had to tell me from a dear sister once again. 

Its also strange how your prejudices against a person can change over time. I really hate entertaining thoughts of moving on, but sometimes, you just cannot work against your convictions and have to look fresher grazing grounds. Well, I still have a good 15 months at the least to pray about it. It's true, it is the students that keep you from moving on. 

Tomorrow is going to be the start of the second term. Things have to go into high gear. I can still remember practicum last year, the pressure was there, but the pressure was different. Will wake up to try reach school early tomorrow. The holidays have not really been much rest to me and I am actually more tired from mental stress than physical exhaustion. 

This is a powerful verse that adorns the school hall and though I read it nearly everyday, it really did not strike me as strong as it did at Fusion. 

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:28-31

I need to remember that as Term 2 begins. 

Cornerstone #7

Forget The Girl (AGAIN!!!!)

Here's a video of my brother's band. It's an acoustic version of one of their songs. And yes... that is really them! 

FORGET THE GIRL!

Not to worry, I wasn't jilted or anything, neither is this some emo post... it's a post about my brother's band! He needs ALL your help, they are currently based in the USA and they would really like to tour Asia. 

All you have to do is to visit their website:

Forget the Girl

OR you can click this link to DOWNLOAD all their CD, mp3, liner notes and all. ABSOLUTELY FREE AND LEGAL! In fact they want you to download it, rip it, burn more CDs and give away to others. 

FREE MUSIC

If the link above isn't working copy and past this one:

http://www.forgetthegirl.com/share/ftgmp3.zip

If any of you want the actual CD, I still have a few left, you can look for me! :D

*post dated so that it will stay on top*

The circle is now complete!

Went to popular at Bras Basar to buy some more stuff to decorate my classroom. After reading Wenya's blog, I really miss the homeroom system; it is unfortunately a system not very suited for secondary school. Perhaps a hybrid might be a good idea. 

Anyway, they were having a massive book sale at Bras Basar! Nearly all the 2nd book shops had displays in the concourse. I set about looking for 3 books, 3 books that I've been looking for for more than a decade. And I found them!

The full original Robotech collection! The book that I bought is book #12, the Symphony of Light. It's the best condition of all the books there! I initially bought the novels in Primary 6 and the last book "End of the cricle" in NS; I finally have the whole collection!

There is a Robotech renaissance going on with the new Shadow Chronicles being finally put into film. However, sadly, the books have been reduced to secondary continuity. I am going to buy the who DVD collection from ADV films one day. 

The DarkSun Prism Pentad. I've been looking for this collection for about a decade now. I finally found the first 3 books during a similar fair in NUS towards the end of my University life, today I found the last 2. 

9862 Days

That's 27 years of which 7 are leap years. Of course, regular readers to my blog will know that that format of a post signifies my birthday. So yes, I'm 27 today, the 8th of March. 

Unlike last year, where I posted that I feel quite youthful, I have to say that I've aged a lot in the past year. As you grow older, you see things from a different perspective and even as much as you want to do things in a certain way, you know that that would not be the best way. 

So what will happen this coming year? I don't know. It's been a very heart wrenching one so far, when you see people hurt themselves and you cannot really do much about it. So on this day, I will light some candles as much as I can. 

Carry your candle, Run to the darkness

Seek out the lonely, confused and torn

Hold out your candle, For all to see

Take your candle

Go light your world