sometimes, certain teachers make us realize that singapore is REALLY (bold and font size 100) lacking of teachers aka no one wants to be a teacher
take for example this particular teacher in my school.
"what are some examples of pabic (public w/o the 'l' and it's like pubic) goods? ok, one example is street lams (lamps for goodness sake)"
"you are cor-right" (so do you want to say correct or right. alright nvm, you just lump them into a new word"
"there are both positive and negative ethel-nali-ties (externalities)"
"When one consume light, he needs not pay for it" (so how does a light taste?)
"please take out your optical shit" (optical sheet)
"for those who are not here for the test, your retest is on thursday" (so she's presuming those absent people are present but are just not taking the test?)
"the number of units can be meh-jer (measure) in this manner"
"where is the consumer ser-plus? and where's the producer ser-plus? and what's the pofit (profit!!!!)" (oh my!! bad english!! it's surplus)
throughout the whole lecture, my class was just bursting into fits of laughter whenever she pronounce words wrongly. and the fact that she screams into the mike makes her errors more obvious. i wonder how she even gets out of NIE. maybe qualifying as a chinese teacher? even some laoshis in my school can speak better english than her. According to my friend, when she gives model answers for essays, her grammar is so bad that it makes reading her essays a chore. we were also wondering what clubs does she go to? we came to the conclusion: nerd clubs.
maybe we may be a bit mean, but i'm not exaggerating regarding her pronounciation. she really can't make it. she's even more "ah-lian" than my most ah-lian history teachers who frequent zouk and probably sing k-pop.
MOE should really do something regarding our quality of teachers. Some teachers are so bad that instead of setting a good example, they become the laughingstock in school. At least brush up their english when they know they have to speak in front of 100 students who have gone through decent english lessons and will know that pub-lic is not pubic. Maybe MOE should start giving teachers better pay so that more people will be attracted to teaching. All my life, since childhood, never was my ambition to be a teacher. I don't want to deal with students like me. So, MOE should place more emphasis on recruiting good teachers. one example is my international history teacher. he's a comedian. his comedies are so much better than those on tvs. he talks about stupid politicians and their policies. his notes are hilarious as well as he will write interesting footnotes
when talking about the cultural revolution, he said "please note that such student demostrations are not a proper CCA. you will not get a blue slip for skipping school. Worse still, it's not an illness, so don't go asking for a pink slip"
the rj people have taken our history notes and used it for "all you need to know for A-levels" and ironically, at the bottom they write "for internal circulation only"
so these days, he will write footnotes that say "stop being lazy. try to get your own notes!" or something like that which is not so crude but dripping with sarcasm. I haven't read one of these notes yet though (it's from the mouths of my seniors)
Daily do I sit and dream
Of a better world, even though it may seem
That our current world is just fine
But things could always be more divine.
This world is better for one reason and no more
For it is a place where you and I may soar
Above the houses, the trees, the sky
Even without wings we may fly
For we are forever with each other
And that provides all the lift we need.
We can fly
Up to the sky
Through a flowing stream
With a brilliant gleam
Over a field of green
In our world unseen
Or walk peacefully, knowing the land is ours
And as long as we stay together
Stay together in this dream
We may carry on forever
(: (:
such a sweet poem. haha. (i'm so thick-skin)
You talk as if you are someone.
But you're merely a no one.
Even in the past you've thrown out your accomplishments as if it meant something to the masses.
Too bad it went in one ear and left the other.
You write so well.
Yet it's all lost in your insecurities.
Are you scared?
Say it.
I'm listening.
Why can't you tell it to my face?
You thrive off the compliments and adoration young innocents throw at you, unaware of the truth.
Afraid of your stance in the world we call Earth, you live on the planet we call Internet.
True life is outside of your computer screen.
You will always be that same person.
Getting up from the computer, it doesn't change you.
You're still you.
Acceptance.
That is all you need.
An ability to write does not change the fact that your physical appearances are below mediocre.
To be able to use large words, to express oneself rhythmically onto paper, does not mean you are smart enough to go Stanford.
Hiding behind a different username trying to be someone more accepted, new, someone untainted does not change that you are still you.
I used to wonder how your writing was so beautiful, yet you as a person was so repulsive.
But now I know.
How could it not be so wonderful?
It had to be.
Because it was your life.
It still is your life.
Living in a world of fiction.
You know inside and out.
Therefore you are great at it.
I must agree.
You are marvelous.
But that doesn't mean you have changed.
You still look the same.
You still act the same.
Most of all.
You still live in a world of fiction.
When will you face reality?
Before telling strangers you don't know to grow up, why don't you do the same for yourself.
Then maybe, just maybe…
People may take you seriously.
And it'll no longer be fiction.
Until then.
Enjoy your fiction.
I'll enjoy reality.
I live in the world of fiction and my parents hate it. haha. i was putting myself in their shoes and writing this poem. like right now, i can be reading my econs package. but. no. i chose to be on the net, blogging. of cos i like reality too, but sometimes reality is harsh. so brutal that you just wish reality is a nightmare. maybe it's a bit exaggerated, but i can't live without fiction. all my fanfics, novels, (recent obsession) manga are my refuge. You need a comic relief after loong hours in school. lots of people play computer games.. that's like living in your dreams. maybe history has done me bad. you read about the evil plans of every presidency. the conspiracy behind every policy/strategy. the stupidity of some presidents, in particular the Soviet Union. the exploitation of the colonial powers (SEA lectures.. i wasn't sleeping). humans are just so evil. i just had this convo with glin about this comment "don't let dreams be dreams". i thought it was pretty meaningful but he thought otherwise. glin, i am still keeping to my point of view.
don't drink and drive
sex notations.. muahahaha
selling insecticide
selling nail polish
this is a nice ad
push up bra
haha. dun think i wanna drink coke.. ok. i'm thinking dirty..
i know i post a lot of interesting/funny pics and not commenting on my day/life etc. i was talking to bonnie today and we talked about blogs and bloggers in particular. i would admit that a blog despite being an online diary is not exactly one unless you locked it (like what bonnie did). blogs are more of an entertainment. something you'd like to go to when you are bored. so, my job is to amuse ppl. i hope i manage to do so. and we went on about bloggers who blog with "worx, lorx".. ok. i'm not referring to any kind of people in particular. but you think it makes your entry sounds better, but haha. no. the standard of your entry just drop drastically. HAH (ok, i sound like mdm k). another group is those people who blogs about what they do, what they buy, who they meet, what they eat. basically, the kind of primary school essays that even primary school teachers dislike. such entries sound like what teachers discourage us once we reached p6. lastly are those people who type ThIs WaY. wow! training your pinky (shift/capslock). great exercise then.
i'm such a meany in this paragraph. sorry if this entry offends you. i'm referring to no-one in particular. just speaking from experience. don't worry, people i linked are of coz blogs that i read. meaning, you guys passed my read-blog criteria! yay!
How to be a Perfect Asian Kid?
(from the first generation perspective)
1. Score a perfect 1600 on the SAT .
2. Play the violin or piano on the level of a Concert performer.
3. Apply to and be accepted by 27 colleges.
4. Go to an Ivy League university and win enough scholarship money to pay for it.
5. Have four hobbies: studying, studying, violin/piano, and studying.
6. Love classical music and detest talking on the telephone.
7. Become a Westinghouse, Presidential and eventually a Rhodes Scholar.
8. Aspire to be a brain surgeon.
9. Marry an Asian-American doctor and have perfect, successful children (grandkids for ah-ma and ah-ba!).
10. Love to hear stories about your parents' childhood...especially the one about walking 20 miles to school without shoes.
How to be the Perfect Asian American Parent?
(from the second generation perspective)
1. Be a little more lenient on the 7:00 p.m. curfew.
2. Don't ask where the other percent went, when your child comes home with a 99 percent grade on his/her report card.
3. Don't "ai-yah" loudly at your kid's dress habits.
4. Don't blatantly hint about the merits of Habadu (Harvard), Yeil (Yale), or Purinsuton (Princeton).
5. Don't reveal all the intimate details of your kid's life to the entire Asian community.
6. Don't ask your child, "What are you going to do with your life?" if he/she majors in a non-science field.
7. Don't give your son a bowl haircut or your daughter two acres of bangs.
8. Don't try to set your kid up on a date in anticipation of their poor taste or inept social skills.
9. Incorporate other phrases besides, "Did you study yet?" into your daily conversations with your children.
10. Don't ask all your kid's friends over the age of 21 if they have a boy/girlfriend yet.
Top Ten Reasons There Won't Be a Chinese-American President Anytime Soon
10. White House not big enough for in-laws.
9. Engineering, medicine, and law always preferred over politics.
8. Oval Office has bad feng shui.
7. Can't find decent roast duck inside the beltway.
6. Secret service can't handle nagging from mother.
5. Dignitaries generally intimidated by chopsticks at state dinners.
4. No chance for promotion.
3. Lactose intolerance not considered politically correct.
2. Senior aides won't take off shoes before coming in.
1. Air Force One: No frequent flyer miles.
Top Ten Pick Up Lines Used by Asian Men
10. I may look like a nerd but it's only a disguise.
9. I carry this beeper not to feel important but so my mom knows where I am. I carry this phone to call her back.
8. Uhhhh, no, I didn't play football in high school but I did letter in varsity volleyball and tennis. 7. Has anyone ever told you you look like Chun Li? You know, that chic from Street Fighter 2.
6. What do I do? Gee, I thought you would never ask. Y'see, I'm finishing my first year of residency in internal medicine.
5. Yeah, (sniff) I cried during "Joy Luck Club."
4. Do I cook? Well, not really but I can whip up a pretty mean fried rice!
3. You know what? It's strange, but I get mistaken for a white guy all the time!
2. Hey baby, wanna ride in my 16-valve, twin-cam lowered Acura Integra with BBS gold-spiked rims and a subwoofered stereo that'll leave you breathless?
1. My eyes may seem small, but I've got a HUGE personality.
You know you are Japanese if...
1. You're obsessed with your hair, your car, and your clothes.
2. You want to marry a Korean American or Chinese American woman (males); or you want to marry a white guy (females).
3. You're afraid of black people.
4. You know you are superior to all other Asians.
You know you are Korean if...
1. You smoke and drink too much.
2. You're actually sorry that Margaret Cho's sitcom was canceled.
3. You're afraid of black people.
4. You know you are superior to all other Asians! .
You know you are Chinese if...
1. You think you're the smartest people in the world.
2. You have a pager and cellular phone with you at all times.
3. Today's steamed rice is tomorrow's fried rice.
4. You're afraid of black people.
5. You know you are superior to all other Asians.
You know you are Cambodian if...
1. You own, have relative who owns, or know someone who owns a DONUT SHOP!!!
2. You have a life time job at a donut shop.
3. You still work at a donut shop on weekends even if you have a full time job outside.
4. You HATE Donuts!!
5. You can't live without steamed rice.
6. You want other Asians to stop meddling in your country.
You know you are Vietnamese if...
1. You've gotta have fish sauce with every meal.
2. You eat at a restaurant that has "Pho" and ANY number in the name.
3. You have some relative who is Chinese.
4. You're afraid of black people.
5. You know you are superior to all other Asians.
You know you are Filipino if...
1. You want to be a dancer, a singer, or an actor, even though you have a day job as a nurse, a security guard, or an accountant.
2. A member of your family back home is a politician or a movie star.
3. You're not afraid of black people; in fact, you wish you were black.
4. You don't care if you are superior to all other Asians or not, because being Filipino is just cool in itself.
You know you are Thai if...
1. No matter what you eat, it's not greasy or spicy enough.
2. You're not afraid of black people, because in some cases you're just as dark as they are.
3. You know in your heart that you will never be superior to all other Asians, but you've learned to live with it.
hmm, it is more of an american-based context, so some of the facts might sound foreign/alienated. but it's quite interesting to read. haha, well, i think singaporean kids are rather white-washed considering the fact that CHINESE is a compulsory second language. *cough**cough*liz*cough**cough* is the best example. haha, rite? lol. remember those days whereby we pissed qian ping off with our excessive chattering at the back of the class. and when you and pris and EVEN meiyi dropped, you left me all alone to doze off during chinese. funny old days. SIGH
don't blame me.. it's the aftermath of charlie and the chocolate factory craze. i wouldn't say that this movie is fantastic. they changed the ending and they added wonka's dad in it. so, apart from all the dark humor, there is the warm sensation after watching the movie - family love. Not that the book does not have any family love, but the theme of love in the movie is super obvious. and i don't think the writer meant it to be this way. But johnny depp is really pretty.. but definitely not the i-will-fall-in-love-with-you material. he looks like micheal jackson.. the super pale face. but he brings out the willy wonka's character pretty well.
jolene told me she watched the 1st version of the charlie and the chocolate factory and she said that the Oompa Loompa is much cuter in the movie. haha, i want to watch that version! should dig around for it one day.
hmm, this week is singapore's 40th birthday and singapore is going over the hill (lol. ahr inside joke). but she's going stronger ironically! tourist hub, medical hub, technological hub.. what's next?
(dedicated to my cousin.. you know who you are ^^)
Knowing that I must walk on
Even when the world around me
People keep on talking on
I can't let words hold me down
Even when it hurts
I just got to keep on walking on
Hold my head up high
The worlds ridicule and asking why
I carry on with this charade
But I tell you God made me this way
And I'll tell you now loud and clear
This is who I am
And my determination to give in
There is none
And the critics who keep on pressing
Get off me
And the haters who can't believe
Well believe it
Your words can't phase me
Cuz I set my mind too it
I am who I am and thats what I'll be
No words no actions will ever change me
The darkness of my minds
The cold distraught corners
The sun that shines down at the center so bright
The warmth that I emit creating my own light
All molded into one
Sometimes its the darkness that consumnes me
As the hatred envelopes inside
As I think of the blood and the gore
Homies that lay on the floor
Sometimes its the tranquility of my own mind
At peace as I set forth time after time
With a smile on my face
I'm everything and anything
Its early in the morning
As I set out to this new day...
hi dearest cousin, the thick and thin we've been through, the fun and distress we encountered. although you are much older than me, the bond we share diffuse all boundaries, enfettering as more like sisters than like cousins. we share numerous memories.. wearing similar clothes, me refusing to go home because your house always seem more fun-packed than mine. recall those days where we play doll-house.. i vividly remember this hair salon doll house and these 2 dolls that we have and played for ages. of cos us little rascals refuse to bath and ahma got to resort to chasing us around the marble table.
do you know i enter mg because you went there? and i am very grateful that you made this choice as that's how i get to meet all my close friends now. as we matured into our teens, we did not drift apart due to busy schedules. and even when you went abroad, technology has done us good. the msn talking, you calling all the way from australia. and i love it when you are back in singapore. the hours.. days.. spent sharing about the experiences we went through the past half year, the planning of the future ahead of us. just want to say: you taught me lots.. more than you can ever imagine.
and now, it's nearing your bday and i haven't been buying you gifts (oopsy!) but i'd like to dedicate this post to you. Hopefully you read it before your bday (that's y i post it up quite early). i know the life there is very stressful as the workload piles. and the loneliness you feel when you need comfort or merely someone to relate to. just remember my phone is always on for you. give me a ring whenever you need to find someone to talk to. yeah, happy birthday and all the best for your exams. Don't be too stressed, yeah?
God bless.. ^^
"Encore encore!"
Even after dying, they still want more
Yet, his pain is so restricting,
All of this I abhor.
The insignificant ones were squirming,
Though they were murdered on the floor.
His love stories were incinerated
And this ache in my heart is numb
These precious memories were obliterated,
From our forgotten album.
The pathetic attempts are evident
To burn these wingless feelings;
My presence is forced absent
From our tangled heartstrings
I was loved by too many,
That death became my option
I was embraced by a fairy,
Virginity was my toxin
I'm helplessly sitting here
And pining for your love
I discover hidden sneers,
In the breast of a tainted dove
I'm struggling to express this soul,
While watching the world escape me
The persecutors of time were on patrol,
But were taunted in the alley
Acknowledge our last harmony
For I loved you all along
There's smoke up your chimney
And now everything is all wrong...
I watched you from afar
And your happiness is tempting
My well being is 'savoir'...
It’s our dramatic ending
These promises are overrated
And trust is not an option
That community was baited,
Into this desolate coffin
We are only mortal,
Do you not recall?
The intentions for my grovel,
Are crumbling as I fall
Farewell my dear
And attain a new beginning
Oh, do you hear
The ashes of the damned singing?
My time is now,
For I knew that you never loved me
I’m staking it all on this vow
For the fool always falls for inconsistency
Gently... gently...
Encore.