My Buddy's Wedding 28 Sep 08

Finally received the pictures of the wedding of my 13 year buddy and her beloved.

Here is a highlight of the event then:

The garang brothers and the bride groom to receive the bride

1st challenge: to sing a love song and to make sure the bride on the 9th storey can hear



Checking out the next "task"


"Star" Jump - Something that might be abit physically challenging, lucky din sprain out back...lol



The "sour" treatment - lemon



The 'bitter' treatment - baby bitter gourd juice

The worst of all -- 'spicy' treatment - chilli padi agar agar........pukes

The Brothers and Sisters and the Bride and Bride Groom

The Brothers and Sisters and the Bride and Bride Groom
The Brothers and Sisters and the Bride and Bride Groom -- supposed to act cute.....


Emcee again...........

YUM SENG!!!

WK & ML, PS & gf, YF & bf, me & XY :)

Formed by NUS "paikias" and others

from CTSS 4A1/1997

JJC 98S17

Do sincerely wish them happiness.

2 ships sailing in opposite directions

Sounds like a long and meaningless phrase literally,

however, metaphorically, it's meaningful.

This phrase 1st struck me back in secondary school, when i was a student. If i am not mistaken, it was said to my class then by my form teacher. That it was fated for people in the class to meet. we were just like ships sailing in different directions, time and fate brought us together, and we meet and intercept each other at the same particular time of our life. though the times spent together was short, however events that happened during the common time created memories for the involved parties which could possibly last forever. after the short time frame spent together, we continued our life journey in different directions to move on to different phases of our life.

Doesn't dat sound familiar?

Doesn't dat happen to all of us humans at different times of our lives?

There is a Chinese idiom which fits the description so well:

萍水相逢

There is a Chinese song which was written more than 20 years ago dat fits this theme perfectly.

I shall attempt to translate this song into English for the benefit of many:

Title: 萍聚 (similar meaning as 萍水相逢)
Singer: 李翊君

别管以后将如何结束
no matter what may happen in the future
至少我们曾经相聚过
at least we have intercepted each others life before
不必费心地彼此约束
there is no need to restrain yourself or put up a false front
更不需要言语的承诺
nor make any verbal promises

只要我们曾经拥有过
so long as we have the common beautiful memories together
对你我来讲已经足够
to us, that's already sufficient
人的一生有许多回忆
we may have dissimilar beautiful memories in each of our mind
只愿你的追忆有个我
hopefully i would have a place in your mind when you indulge yourself in reminiscence of your memories


This song is simply classic, and i believed it would have been a popular graduation song back in the older days, perhaps 20 years ago.

Managed to find the mtv on you tube, perhaps it was filmed only years after the song was released. The singer looked less young in the mtv as compared to the album cover....lol

Enjoy the song and video

Back to studying and maybe work......

化装舞会 aka Fancy Dress

Finally found this song online! This is classic!

Basically this is an oldie if i am not mistaken back in late 80s, when i was still a little boy and heard it over the radio via 95.8, and also the most famous song by the singer.

It's relaxing to hear her voice and this song. This song talks about a story similar to "Cinderella". The english translation of the song is "Fancy Dress". You could relate to that. Coming to dat reminds me of the fancy dress party i took part when i was only in primary one. i still remembered i played the role of a SHY sheep...hahaa. and the attire i was told to wear was a pair of pyjamas...which i neva wore before in my life, and my mum actually bought me a pair juz for the event. It was a dumb event though, and dat was the sole reason which actually caused me to remember it even till today. becos i simply cannot see the link between pyjamas and a sheep.......haha.

化妆舞会

作词：梁弘志 作曲：梁弘志
演唱：于台烟

我带着面纱，和镶着假钻的头坠
参加这场期待已久的化装舞会
我知道这将是我，唯一的机会
与你熟悉却又陌生地相对
朋友们都说我长得平凡而无味
却从来没人注意到我的内在美
或许这是个流行带着面具的社会
而我也尝尽了被忽略的滋味
你终于温柔地走向我
赶走了灰姑娘的自卑
你一直温柔地拥着我
叫人寂莫忘了伤悲
任我旋转任我陶醉
啦－－－啦－－－
任我旋转任我陶醉
(朋友们都说我长得平凡而无味)
(却从来没人注意到我的内在美)
(或许这是个流行带着面具的社会)
(而我也尝尽了被忽略的滋味)
(别想那么多了好好享受这场舞会吧)
请别要求我揭开那美丽的虚伪
只怕看到你的眼里有淡淡的后悔
当音乐结束之后我将离开你
让我们都带着美好回忆而归
你终于温柔地走向我
赶走了灰姑娘的自卑
你一直温柔地拥着我
叫人几乎忘了伤悲
任我旋转任我陶醉
啦－－－啦－－－
你终于温柔地走向我
赶走了灰姑娘的自卑
你一直温柔地拥着我
叫人几乎忘了伤悲
嘿－－－嘿－－－

Listen to the song here

I actually woke up at 8am automatically this morning, because apparently the diligent side of me kept asking me to wake up and start to do my school assignment and project which is due at the end of this week!!! and which i totally had little energy to do as it is "Brainy intensive". and the consolation is that i did start and typed the report to the 4th page. Will continue to work hard and be stressed...

A Perfect Ending

Was in office till 5pm today.

The supp paper was on and my students turned up for it.

Both managed to clear it, with a reasonably good ranking though. Think both were the top half.

Seeing them receiving their hard earned certificates from my hands was a feeling of accomplishment though. and knowing that deep down, they were delighted. This instance does show to me the importance of perseverance, that no matter wat setbacks we may encounter in life, we ought to do our very best to want to conquer it, to the very end. for their case, they succeeded. I believe the certificates will mean so much more to them as compared to majority of their fellow peers who breezed thru the module.

The brotherhood spirit was commendable too. I do feel that they are fortunate to have a friend who came all the way from home to juz to cheer them on today. Such friendship is definitely hard to come by, and they ought to treasure it.

I would say that my 6th batch of Poly training did come to a perfect ending eventually. That at least i would not see anyone repeating the same module next year, and having to retain in their school for 1 semester.

A Relaxing Weekend

I finally got a well deserved break to recharge myself after months of hectic work.

Nothing special but juz simply a beach resort stay over at Pulau Bintan, Indonesia.

I would have to say that it's a good place for me to put what i've learnt into practice, and it seems that the locals could understand my kurang lancar Bahasa, which was a mini consolation. I do hold quite a good impression of Indonesians from this visit. Locals there are generally very polite, soft spoken, friendly and warm. It gives me a good reason y i should visit Indonesia again in the future.

Here are some of the pictures taken:

Video by NYP-2 Sep 08

Glad that i managed to get the video up.

Thanks NYP-2 who took the effort to make this video, and i haf to admit that this was the 1st class to give me a video as a present.

Actually many times i broke into laughter while watching the video, after seeing how some people tried to impersonate me. Ahem. and my favourite 'irritating' gestures and words. It does remind me of myself as a student when i always did the same to my teachers then, and it never failed to cause my class mates then to burst into laughter. I dunno whether she had impacted my teaching style so much somehow and whenever i talk about how i teach my students to my secondary school classmates, they would always say that they felt a sense of "Deja Vu" and i was reali so like her in my approach towards my students...

Here it is, the video:



Heard something unpleasant from my cousin recently at the wake of my uncle's father in law, that my secondary school history teacher is down with cancer. Sincerely wish her well, though i was one of her 'favourite' student whom she kept scolding or marked down in her 2 years teaching me history back then, and finally seeing me getting an A1 in the subject. I haf to say that she did affect me to a certain extent, in the sense i learnt from her the importance and skill of 'answering to the question and relating an answer to the question' which probably allowed me to succeed and scored A+ in my 'arts' subjects like Sociology, Chinese History and Literature, and A for Human Resource Management which i studied in my varsity days. No one would ever expect an Engineering Student to score well for those subjects, especially for someone like me who used to score C5 for General Paper and in the Band C in my English Classes back during my JC days.

Work is getting more and more hectic. Hopefully new people will come and relief our busy schedules and dun play us out. I believe each and every persons presence and contribution will be valued and one would be idiotic to try to chase someone away, because the loss of one person will imply the shit eventually falls back to the left overs, US.

NYP-2: 1 Sep - 10 Oct 08

Just when I thought ITE/Poly Training has become history for me, my 6th full batch of ITE/Poly Training had come to an end, in a twinkling of an eye.

These 6 weeks have been really hectic. from the fact that i need to really multi task to a great deal at office. There are certainly many memorable events or even reflections that i will remember.

1st day of training
perhaps this is the 1st time in history in my 2 year plus of student training that a student was reduced to tears right on her 1st day of training.

Honestly i was caught by a SHOCK then oso. Becos i did not even scold or raise my voice at the student.

Perhaps that was when i became the fear factor of the class, and i got the nicknames like 'piercing stares; intimidating voice"; etc. lol


Shift Work

I tink this is the 1st time i actually agreed to play games with my students during their shift work.

Still remembered it was on one occasion when i caught some students playing 'hang man' on the pantry white board during their meal time. I wasn't happy initially, but within seconds this idea struck my head and i decided to join them in the game.

Each time a question was set, they were made to guess technical terms, and each time the correct answer was given, the students were made to explain the concepts about the answer, and it reali turned into a mini final examination revision session. seems that the students enjoyed it though. and i was quoted by NYP-3's top student (who was in my shift team then) during her thank you speech when she received the Excellence Awards, that she would never forget TEIKOKU ROTARY GUARD.

Completed the 4-Poly tour
with the completion of NYP-2 Sep 08 batch of training, it marked the completion of my round tour of Poly training as i managed to teach the students from all 4 polytechnics..

There are reali very distinct differences among the different students from their respective polytechnics.

Anyway check out some of the class photos taken first before i continue:

No cameras allowed in the plant, so i guess the class gotta thank the person who stood juz before the door and having to tolerate the auto door keep on opening and closing juz to take a pic for us, since we cannot cross the boundary.







Check out some of the heart warming gifts i received from pple in the class. Number 23 has a special meaning wor....it simply means that the class has 23 students.

I also gotta mention about the video the class made for me. It was an earnest production, and it was heartwarming and touching. Thanks!


Most number of girls

well NYP-2 is the 1st time in which the girls form about 2/3 of the class, when usually that's the reverse. taking care of more girls, i would say it's more challenging. we haf to agree they lose out in the physical aspect in terms of strength and fitness. but i haf to say that this grp of girls are quite fun to be with.


Mixed feelings

Perhaps it's time to share about some seemingly less pleasant stuff.

On friday, my heart was pretty in a state of 'mixed' feelings.

Yes, many feel that i should be happy, from the fact NYP-2 created a record -- as in broke the best examination results in my history of conducting poly training. They beat the record set by TP1/May 2008 and there were 11 students from my class filling the top 20 positions in the final exam out of 120+ students. But it wasn't a perfect ending. because not all from my class managed to receive the graduation certificate then. Words can't describe my feelings, when the students actually broke down before me, and hearing voices appealing for help for them to clear the supp paper on saturday. It seems that I was the only person calling up my failures and i haf to admit that the move to make the phone call was terrible, and to be the person to break the news. But I simply can't juz sit back and claim that 'they are not my responsibility' to inform, to lend a helping hand, and to revise like some other people did. i feel sad for the whoever students, to have adored this wrong person who is only a seemingly Nice Person Wannabe.

I do hope that the not yet competent students in my class will be able to make it on saturday.


Next incident you may find it hard to believe it's happening among the poly students.
Though it's not the 1st time such things happened, but this time rd it is happening to me.

Perhaps my class reali did exceptionally well for the final exams, and that had caused the jealousy or even sour grapes among other people. It's inevitable that people will turn red-eyed by my class results. As a result, false accusations start to befall. I do hold a clear conscience towards what i am doing so i got nothing to fear, and i am thankful to have a group of righteous colleagues who hold strong faith in my personality, professionalism and dedication towards my job and my students. The rumours is not going to affect me, rather it simply reflect the level of personality and maturity those 'accusers' have, and it is a reaffirmation to my teammates and my boss of my capability and it is a recognition of the effort i put in to ensure i push my students to produce their best results which some of them may never thought they could achieve. Of course i would have to attribute my students success mainly due to their team work and helping spirit. I was impressed that they actually went back to school to form a study group to help out one another in their revision, and making efforts to make sure that the weaker students do not lag behind . They have a reason to do well.

One of my student actually made a ranking jump of more than 70 places, which says one point about them that: "if you want to do well, it is possible", though u may be some slacker or lag behind person back in school as compared to your fellow peers. it is a positive encouragement to my future students, if i were to take ITE/Poly training in the future again, which is not very likely due to my other job commitments.

I am extremely comforted to know that i actually made a difference to the lives of some of my students, and that i had left some positive foot marks in a short chapter of their lives. I do feel successful, like what Lupita Jones had said before, when you lend a helping hand, when you created a positive difference, you'll feel happy, and you are considered successful.


I have to say that my top student who achieved the Excellence Award got it at quite a close shave. Because the difference between my no1 and no2 is only 0.02 mark. That emphasize the importance of each single mark they could achieve in order to make a possible difference.


Since we started the Excellence Award back in May 07, my idea though, the competition in my class is always fierce and strong. If i could recall, the 6 top students in my classes up to date are as follows:

NP3 Sep 06: Arthur Tan
SP1 Feb 07: Yeo Tin Wei
TP7 May 08: Tang Chung Hang
SP2 Feb 08: Mohd Noor
TP1 May 08: Ivan Ng
NYP2 Sep 08: Wong Guan Qi

Seemed like I hold a favouritism to guys, but it's not true. in fact, for every batch, i had always pray that my 'new' top student would be a girl, but i always ended up in 'disappointment'. We shall see whether the list will get to continue.


Back to my work, and probably my school work...........