David Tao..

David Tao's concert last night was a brilliant showcase of the man's musical talent. Unlike other weird singers who love to choose the noisiest and least familiar songs to show-off their dance steps and expose their weak voices, Tao stuck to his music and selected the best of the best amongst all his songs. There was a variety of songs that he performed: R & B, rock, unplugged and of course, love ballads. As expected, he ended off with his sentimental favourite, Love is Simple.

Tao's powerful yet soothing voice mesmorized the audience. Not once did his voice break down or go off key. His albums do injustice to his voice. His voice is so much more superior 'live' than recorded. Furthermore, Tao's ability to get the audience engaged was one of the winning points of his concert. Within his second song, he managed to get most of the audience on their feet. His humour coupled with his charisma on stage made everyone break into laughter. His sincere appreciation to his band members, parents, friends, fans, audiences and the less fortunate displayed his humility which made him even more likable. The constant switch between Mandarin and English was forgivable as it all seemed so smooth and natural. His piano and electric guitar playing skills were also brilliant. It goes to show that a good musical concert need not have fanciful constumes, extravagant settings or complicated dance steps. A good concert should leave the audience captivated. For that to be possible, only two things are needed: a clear and powerful voice of the singer, and the singer's ability to get the crowd going. Tao scored full marks in both departments.

The 3 hours spent there was certainly worth the money. I enjoyed every moment of it and was a bit sad when it ended. I just heard from a few non-David Tao fans that they were left totally awestruck by the man's stage presence and his music abilities. Like them, I feel that this is and would be the best concert we've ever witnessed. It would take a miracle and superman's effort for any current singer to put up an even better concert.

Oh, and how could I forget! I was 10 cm away from shaking Tao's hand! If not for the damn couple of sumowrestler like security guards, I would have been able to shake the music genius' hand. Urghh!!! And I love the way Tao said, "I guess I'm going to break the rules." With that, he glided down the stage to come up close and personal with his fans at the front row. I felt like a 13 year-old all over again when I too rushed to the front to catch him. So near yet so far. Sigh. I can only look forward to his next album and cherish the magical moments in my heart.

Human Beings..

The study of human beings is an intriguing subject. Psychology and Sociology give us a better understanding of how and why human beings behave in different situations. However, the study of human beings is best learnt outside the classroom when one comes face-to- face and interacts with our fellow species.

The initial stage of 'getting to know a person' is always a novelty. It's refreshing to hear about the lives of people who are so different from oneself and one's circle of friends. As time goes by, the novelty wears off. Suddenly the more one knows about the person, the more one cannot comprehend his or her train of thoughts, behaviours and actions. This stems from totally different upbringing. There are certain values that I cannot tolerate and accept. Opposites attract at the beginning but to sustain a frienship, similarities become more crucial. Communication gradually becomes redundant and finally non-existent when there are no common interests and when both have totally different values and directions in life. Now I finally understand why I have so few friends.

There are also certain people who love to stick to their own principles which stops them from improving their quality of lives and moving up the social ladder. Perhaps they are satisfied with their current lifestyles. Their streak of stubborness is preventing them from breaking the vicious cycle of 'poverty' which continues from one generation to the next. In some genuine cases, the lack of vision for the future can be blamed on ignorance or the low education attained. At times, I find it rather sad but there's a limit to what one can do to help them, especially when they refuse to heed your advice. On the other hand, the total lack of ambition and drive in the relatively well-off male is what females fears most about their Significant Other. There is no point in earning so much when the Significant Other has no great aspirations in life.

Damn it. My flow of thoughts has been abruptly interrupted. Just received a phone call which would have made me so excited a few months back. Hiaz, in a dilemma now. Of all days to call, that fellow had to do so today when he was supposed to call more than a month ago. Can't even let me have peace on my big day. Urghh..

Oh, btw, to all my good friends, thanks for all the greetings, presents and treats. I'm not a very expressive person in real life. So here's a big THANK YOU to all of you.

"The language of friendship is not words , but rather meanings . It is an intelligence above language."
-Thoreau

Sad Ending..

Eventually, all good things must come to an end. The lack of match play and stamina became evident as the match progressed. It became too painful to watch towards the end. He could barely serve. He hardly ran for balls. He tried to keep the rallies short by hitting outright winners but they all turned out to be unforced errors. Despite putting up a mini-comeback and giving me a brief sense of hope, it was simply not enough.

The unblemished winning record in finals has become history. The 34 match winning streak is finally broken. At least he showed great sportsmanship by hanging in tough and not retiring. He knew the fans wanted more. He did not go down meekly. He could have stayed home and recuperated in the first place but he chose to fly half the continent to take part. His efforts should be greatly commended.

No birthday present from Rog this year. Anyhow, I'm proud of him.

Last Day..

Tomorrow marks the last official day of my short teaching stint. Memories of my first few days here came flashing back to me this morning as I was clearing my desk. Despite the numerous complaints I have had, I will leave this school with a tinge of sadness and valuable lifelong lessons. I'm thankful to my amiable colleagues who provided me with much entertainment and tips on teaching. Without them, life would have been very miserable. Of course, most importantly, I'll not forget a handful of students who really brightened up my teaching days. Although I'll miss the school, I'm definitely looking forward to the holidays. Finally, I'll get to wake up after the sun rises and there's a long list of things that I want to do. Hurray! Freedom after 1pm tomorrow, I can't wait!

A Poem..

The sparkling and charming eyes mesmerized me.

The boyish grin melted me.

The innocent laughter enthralled me.

The intelligent face captivated me.

The unique voice attracted me.

The unison answers amused me.

The presence of an unfamiliar person inhibited me.

The blunt tactics embarrassed me.

The seemingly lack of interest disappointed me.

The inability to express myself frustrated me.

Inconsolable Mood..

Damn it!!! I missed Rog's 1st match at the Shanghai Masters Cup. I'm so sore about it, urghh!!! Months of waiting to see him and I actually missed it! I thought it's only starting tomorrow. Damn it!! Why in the world did they start a tournament on a Sunday???

While I was whining about it, Mr Lim had to rub salt on my wounds, "As a number 1 fan, you should be responsible for your own tv schedule." Duckass' response was worse. "I thought you knew."

The only consolation was that Rog won, but only barely. At least he got past his nemisis though.

Farewell Lunch..

Everyday has been a learning experience in my short working life. My job encompasses mainly around management. Managing large groups of children, managing one’s time well, managing one’s relationship with one’s colleagues and superiors and balancing one’s private life and working life. I’ve also learnt not to be too idealistic. It would just make one frustrated about not being able to meet that high expectation set by oneself.

Furthermore, I’ve outgrown the fear of getting lost (literally and physically). Panicking would get one nowhere. Instead of worrying, why not find a solution to get out instead of wasting precious time and brain cells on fearing for the worst? If seeking for help is out of the question, trusting one’s instincts would be a good alternative.

Moreover, I’ve been initiating things which I would not have done previously. I’m not sure what gave me the courage but I’m learnt to put things into perspective. The worst scenario would be getting shamed or embarrassed. On the other hand, positive or totally unexpected developments may arise. So why not think on the brighter side rather than being so pessimistic?

In addition, I’ve learnt to stick to my own principles and do what is right even though it may cause inconveniences to others. I do not think it is my problem should these people get into trouble since they did not perform their tasks properly in the first place.
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I did a personality quiz (http://quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx) while I was toying away with time. The accuracy rate for me was approximately 90%. Here are the results:

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:
You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.

The right job for you:
You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.
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Just came back from a farewell lunch for my mentor at Parkway Parade. I had the priviledge of fetching both the principal and a senior teacher since no one was willing to take up the responsibility, or rather, no one volunteered. It was not such a daunting task after all. Just that their lives were in my hands. haha. Somehow, I managed to park well despite my car being at some awkward angle. I think I perform much better under pressure. Anyway, I was just glad that I gave them a smooth ride and that I didn't embarrass myself with my parking. Oh, by the way, lunch was good, considering how much we paid!

Defending Myself..

A recent spate of events, conversations and perhaps my blog entries have had family members, relatives, friends and acquaintances create a negative impression of me. I've been labelled as being high-maintenance, a spoilt brat, a snob amongst many others. I normally do not bother about others' opinion but this time, I find it mentally disturbing.

To get the record straight, yes, I do like to patronise at air-conditioned cafes and restaurants but I do that only once a week, which is the weekend. Weekday lunches are consumed either at home or in the school canteen. And seriously, most of the time, I would rather starve than eat the school canteen food. Since I suffer on weekdays, I feel that there's nothing wrong with paying more to enjoy a better ambience and better food during the weekends.

Next, driving. If driving a car makes me spoilt, then more than half the population in Singapore are spoilt brats. Furthermore, I find it ridiculous that I've been labelled 'materialistic' for wanting to own a car of my own in the near future. I hope these people would put themselves in my shoes. I've been fortunate to have a car at my disposable since I obtained my driving licence. It's only natural that I would want to maintain my current lifestyle.

Moving on to purchasing expensive goods and leisure. Again, how often do I do that? I reckon it's probably once in two months or even less. If money can buy happiness and boost the economy, what's wrong with paying to get enjoyment? This is especially when it's my own hard-earned money. Talking about that, Dad has kindly sponsored my David Tao tickets as my birthday present. Haha. By the way, I just did a quick calculation on my spendings. I spend less than 20% of my income per month for myself on all these so-called enjoyment and expensive meals. I do not have the luxury of enjoying free meals from my boyfriend because I do not have one. Even if I do have one, I'll make sure I pay my own share unless it's a special occassion.

Next, snob. Yes, I ignore the noisy and irritating kids. But that's because I understand their needs. Come on, they are kids. It's hard for them to shut up from 7.30am to 1.30pm everyday. Of course, I definitely would not tolerate mayhem when I'm teaching. So when do I ignore them? I do so when I'm reliefing classes, those whom I would only see probably once in my life time. Contract teachers tend to relief a lot because they are deemed to be the most free among all the staff. I always feel like quitting after I've finished reliefing a class. The noise level can be terrible at times but I allow them to talk because it's a free period. No point shouting at them to shut up since they have nothing to do anyway. And I do not look down on any kid. I've come to accept the fact that people come from various backgrounds and different people have different academic abilities.

I know I've been complaining a lot of my job. The downside of this job is that most of the kids do not appreciate what teachers do for them. Only a handful of them come out with "Happy Teacher's Day" cards or presents on Teacher's Day. But come on, at the end of the day, what is it that I really hope to get from them? Gifts? Being friends with them? Getting 'A's for the subjects that I teach them? No, none of them. I just wish they would be able to find a niche for themselves and be upright and responsible human beings. The fact that they've ended up in neighbourhood schools speaks much about their academic ability. If they can't excel in their studies, I'm sure they excel in other areas. That's not the most difficult part. Teaching a child to be responsible is the most arduous task in the world. Why? Just look around, how many adults are actually responsible human beings? If we can't even lead by example, what do you expect of the child?

For once, I shall be divulging some rare moments which makes me want to stay on in this job. The first was my Secondary 5 Malay student. His Mathematics is totally horrendous. He can't even solve a basic algebra question. We both had a good laugh when we saw his Maths Prelim results. I found it amusing because I've not seen anyone score so low for a Maths paper. He laughed probably because he was used to seeing this kind of result. He told me, "No hope already lah. Sure get F9 for 'O' level." This was my reply to him, "Don't worry, it's quite hard to get F9. There are definitely people who are worse than you." He looked up at me with a sense of hope. "Really? I thought I'm the worst already,' he queried. From then on, he became more motivated during my Maths periods and started asking me how to solve questions. His previous teacher told me that he spent most of his time joking around with his friend during her maths period.

The next touching scene was with one of the students from the class of Devils. It was announced to the class that I was supposed to be their new English teacher. But due to 'unforeseen circumstances', I didn't have to take over them. So their current English teacher remained. One day, while I was walking past that class, one of the students asked me, "Cher, how come you never teach our class? You say you supposed to teach us what." So I explained to them that there was a last minute change on the administrative side and asked why were they so concerned anyway. His answer, "Nothing lah, we prefer you actually." I'm not sure whether it was a frank answer, but he sure made my day. The real reason must be because I was less lenient with them as I once got them to play some IQ game in the middle of a comprehension exercise.

This has been a rather long entry but all I've been trying to do is to defend myself, that I'm not as materialistic, spoilt, snobbish or high-maintenance as you all think. I'm sick of hearing such accusations and I'm simply too tired to explain myself to each and everyone of you.

Tennis Session..

Had a great tennis workout yesterday with Mr Lim and his friends. I thought my skills had become rusty due to the lack of practice. The last time I played tennis must have been in April or March with my econs friends.

The weather was perfect. No sun and slight breezy conditions. There was no need for me to wear my cap. My worries were unduly as I somehow managed to hit the ball with ease but not without some moments of embarrassment when I totally mis-timed the ball and the ball flew out of the court. At the end of it, I had a good workout and was told by Mr Lim's friends to join them in their future tennis sessions.

Mr Lim was impressed by my tremendous tennis prowess. Haha. He said he didn't have to give me chance when hitting the ball to me. Somehow my 'talent' was showcased when I played with his friends. I shan't indulge in self-praise here. To be more humble, I'll attribute my skills to the racket and the 'tennis lessons' I attented while watching my tennis idols over the past decade.

The new racket(Rog's) is good but it's a bit too heavy for me. I shall be sticking to my old racket. Mr Lim's friend commented that Mr Lim and I look alike. Quite true, especially our eyes, but certainly not our size!

In other news, I finally ventured out to the 'hawker centre' opposite my school yesterday with my colleagues. It turned out to be a food court, air-conditioned! I shall now make it a point to eat there for the last 10 days of schools. Time really crawls when there is nothing to do. Ok, I shall cease to complain here. There are people out there who are either unemployed or getting paid peanuts while slogging for long hours.

Stumbled upon my colleague's name on the internet while I was surfing for some information on my ex-schoolmate. I hate to say this but I was shocked to find out that she was from one of the top five JCs and she did very well for her 'A' Levels. Immediately, I felt inferior to her. However, I console myself it's the end result that counts. She didn't manage to get an Honours degree despite spending 4 years in NUS. Now who cares which JC one is from. And when one enters the workforce, it's the work attitude that really makes a difference from one employee to another.

Ok, enough of crapping. Damn it, the sun is out. I was dumb enough to cancel my lunch appointment just because of the rain. Anyway, I shall be collecting my David Tao's tickets later. Can't wait to get hold of them!