Jan 2004

iv - 1/29/2004






Actually - I've cancelled this entry like twice.  Because I'm looking for a "decent melody" - essentially - the plot is this.  I want to complain about how school is all about everything except teaching and learning.  That minimal effort can be put into the classroom, as long as you wayang in all the other important facets of school life.  The College is celebrating its don't know what anniversary - so all our efforts have to be channelled in that direction.  Thank god for people that are more "on"/ obedient than me - they can go celebrate all they want and cook up a storm - I'll just tag along and do whatever crap they want - actually an important principle in these matters - for stuff like that - less is more ... who is gonna care who celebrated what after the event.

Of course there's the moral issue about the amount of money that is going to be spent on the celebrations.  But 10 yeas in ACS - every year donating money for some cause or other - has taught me that pple will go to all sorts of lengths to raise money - even if its for a silly book that glorifies the achievements of a school - even if it's for a silly plaque to hang on the wall - there are lots of rich pple out there folks - who are willing to buy their little piece of gratitude from schools that have a reputation to sell.

On a more sickening note - I'm supposed to help with some MP attachment programme.  This is like an eternal joke played out over and over again.  Suck at Mandarin - get posted to SAP school. Don't like grammar drills - end up teaching English.  Vote for opposition - now need to arrange programme for students to be attached to "political leaders" (most of whom I might add have never stood for election and have never won the popular vote).  Even better - I get to play clerk - to make all the bloody arrangements so the creme de la creme can saunter in to "shadow" the "political leaders", and learn about the delicate issues that shape our "plural society".  At least I don't have to go down to any meetings - but I still have to talk to these pple assoc pple about arrangements.  Ok - it hasn't been that bad so far - I've talked to one and she said she would settle the programme.  Whatever.  I think the kids should just go for it and be completely mercenary - it looks good on their profile.

On a brighter note - I've been quite a computer nerd this last month in school - been designing a computer quiz that'll knock the socks off the kids (hopefully).  It's all about western art - a little on music.  Was nice to look at all of those pictures again and to read about the stuff.  I actually think that one gets more into this kind of stuff when there's a reason for you to - I mean I never thought twice about visual art - or at least art history - until I was in JC - and that had a lot to do with studying Hist Paper 5.  Anyway - one of the most awe inspiring times - was at the end of J1- we went to St. Petersburg - and visited the Hermitage - brilliant - Peter Paul Rubens.  That's a man who knows the attraction of the body, or corpulance.  So - that got the interest going.  I still like Baroque and Renaissance painters - but really am more in the abstraction of the 20th C - Matisse esp.  Actually it's a damn poseur thing - must like that which is esoteric.  Whaterever.

On an even brighter note - I've done reasonably well for all the exams that I killed brain cells studying for in Dec!  I got 760 (99%) for the Verbal (ok slightly embarassing cause I teach english - it was the reading compre I tell you ...) and 800 (92%) for the Math  (that's one for the Arts crowd!) in the GRE General test.  I also got 6/6 (95%) for the writing.  My proudest score was for the Lit GRE - 730 (98%) - not bad for three bloody hours of 230 MCQs ... - of course the scores really don't mean a thing if a uni thinks that you studied in Singapore and therefore suck anyway - but let me just savour the moment?

One for the road -

 

Henri Matisse Jazz "Icarus"

:)

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Right on! (I am a teacher also!) [bent twig]

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Those are some insane scores... I feel very su now...

congrats in any case! Would love to try out your quiz, but it doesn't seem to be suited for me in anyway at all. [Grandioso]

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hahaha... mr lim... ur ranting damn funny.. :) [AnGeL^6587]

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Aloha. U're a good teacher, really. Sorry that class couldn't be any better.



- The Cynical, Callous Bastard :)

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mr lim, congrats!! woah... they sound like astronomical results to me... =P

i simply adore magritte's works!! heez...

yeah, this anniversary thingy's really getting on ppl's nerves nowadays... just cos someone's got the dough, others have to do the work... oh well... =S

^_^ [moi~]

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=) [public_prosecutor]

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love the picture, impressive scores. -fey

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wow that's super high scores u got...congrats!



*mutterx...clever scheme,,,grabbing the "future elites" and brainwashin em to be pro-pap...blast em...* [psst]

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eh donate to my card leh. maybe they'll name the fire extinguisher after you. you know the "lim meng teck fire extinguisher"

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eek. the amount of crap admin work i see my mum doing just to get a decent period of teaching in... i totally sympathise with you...



~mi'er

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