Weekends

This must be the greatest National Day weekend of them all. A FRIDAY of celebrations in school (which I conveniently skipped) then the actual thing only happening on MONDAY which means we get TUES off as well. Which is just as well as I've got too much to do in too little time. Besides the immense amount of marking that I've got lined up, I'm also supposed to finish writing those all important documents called testimonials and look at Project Work reports. Too much too much too much to do.

Anyway -- on this great weekend -- I've realised that I have nothing significant left to say about anything because I'm too damn busy with the trivialities of life. sigh.

OK -- I think this has become the story of my life -- I'm great at making everything the NON EVENT. I was just thinking -- actually I've been in the last few days talking consistently with Ms Tan and thinking about the ways we're saying GOODBYE. Given that we're both going away for a couple of years (hopefully -- if I don't screw up and end up failing) I'd say that it's a valid kind of experiment. An uneasy pattern has been developing. For example:

Scenario One
ET: You know what happened in school today?
Me: What?
ET: Some of my colleagues came up to me and said goodbye, then started crying ...
Me: Really. Wow. They really love you huh ...
ET: I don't know -- I don't even know them that well.
Me: You know what happened to me?
ET: What?
ET: My HOD came up to me and said, "giggle giggle, looks like we have to work you to the bone until your last day ..."

Scenario Two
ET: My sec one girls are MAD!
Me: What did they do?
ET: They said they wanted to take photos of me and chased me snapping pictures of my back.
Me: Wow -- they really love you.
ET: They're mad.
Me: I've got a photo story too ... I was made to sit in the front row of the dept photo -- I almost got away with standing behind until the stupid photography teacher in charge noticed I was the only male in the back ...
ET: How is this relevant ?
Me: You tell me ...

Scenario 3
ET: How, I feel so bad -- my friends got me so much stuff (ie shoes, trip to Bintan, Creature II Speaker System -- which guess who has to lug to bloody NY)
Me: Wow -- your friends love you ...
ET: How, I feel so bad ...
Me: I also got a lot of stuff -- got marking, got June marking, Testimonials, US Applications, plato to read ...
ET: *Killer Stare*
Me: oooops ...

Scenario Four
ET: I've got so many notes to write to my class, I can't finish. I need to make all these cards, how? Then tonight I'm going out to watch dim-sum dollies with the RGS pple, how?
Me: Why do you even bother?
ET: Because I've got things to tell them. It's closure. If I don't tell the girls these things, their blood is on my head ...
Me: Eh - you very intense ... you're like a teacher that slams them, whacks them, scolds them then when you leave you must leave with a parting shot ... and they love you ... I'm in awe ...
ET: How how to finish?
Me: I also got a lot of stuff -- got marking, got June marking, Testimonials, US Applications, plato to read ...
ET: *Killer Stare*
Me: oooops ...
(yes when conversations with your wifey start to end the same way ... better stop talking and go listen to Billie Holiday and watch NDP Parade so that you can Kao Pei one last year ... Fine and Mellow man)