reMARKable

During a conversation with some colleagues just now while doing some marking on a bus on the way back to school from a learning journey, i realised that in the past four years or so i've done marking while on the road, at sea and even in the air. Bet that will never feature in any recruitment ad...

Miserable Musings

If even based solely upon the fact that it's the first movie i've seen in a cinema in four-and-a-half years (only because my father had charity tickets), i thought that i might want to post my random musings about Les Misérables, especially since after having watched the musical once and heard the soundtrack countless times, i think i know the musical at least rather well..

• Being the lead singer of 30 Odd Foot of Grunts does not equate to being suitably equipped to play Valjean, not in a musical version at least. If it were a non-musical film adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel then i would have no objections though. In other words, Russell Crowe is a fine actor, just not one who should be doing musicals.
• If you want to be really particular, then how could Fantine manage to sing I Dreamed a Dream the way she did with a freshly-extracted tooth? (Although one could argue that she channeled the pain from the tooth into her song). Just as well they didn't remain faithful to the novel, which took out her front teeth - no way she could have sung the song then.
• Unlike most, i was not all that impressed with Anne Hathaway's performance. It was solid, but nothing impressive as far as i'm concerned.
• Who was more impressive to me were the actors who still frequently perform in musical theatre (e.g. Samantha Barks, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit).
• Speaking of Samantha Barks, while her performance in the 25th Anniversary Concert was not something i cared much for, i thought she did brilliantly in the film adaptation. I am so glad the rumoured near-casting of Taylor Swift as did not materialize. If so i might have been quietly happy when Éponine died.
• And talking about her death, i thought that it was such a pity that they cut some of the lesser-known songs, including A Little Fall of Rain, and also The Attack on Rue Plumet, even if it was in the interests of time.
• In fact, coupled with the cutting of her harmony part when Valjean is about to die, Samantha Barks got quite the raw deal. Her name didn't even appear in some of the trailers despite of the major role she plays.
• There were some nice minor touches - the re-envisioning of Enjolras' death scene while keeping the iconic image intact and Javert's pinning of the medal on Gavroche's body come to mind.

All in all, i'm glad they did a film based on the musical, in spite of my gripes. Better than not having one at all..

Last words

As quickly as years go past, this past year has really taken the cake. That would probably be due in large part to the busyness factor as far as work is concerned. At the end of each year, i would think to myself that i could not imagine things being any busier, but then they soon do. At the same time though, the past year has certainly been the most fulfilling one in a while in several areas. Again work comes to mind, in terms of greater opportunities to connect with some of the students, opportunities that i'm very thankful for, though there are other areas as well. The year's had its fair share of disappointments too, but nothing that i can't get over by God's grace.

And i guess that's precisely what i'll need to recognize and depend upon more in the year ahead. On paper it doesn't seem so bad, but given my poor track record in forecasting anything, it's probably a good idea to brace myself.

tripped out

After being away for pretty much three quarters of the past month i'm back here for at least the next six months or so. The trips could not have been more different (well, apart from the effect on my skin colour). I'm glad for both of them though - i really do feel that i am in my element when away from home, and as such i can't help but see my spending an extended period of time overseas more of a when than an if. It'll definitely still be a while before i get there though. In the meantime, hmm, i think i have some work to do?

between trips

Just got back from ten days in Cambodia - was there for a service learning trip with students (second one in three years at that). Was quite a good experience overall, and certainly better than i had thought that it was going to be at the start of it all (and am certainly more tanned than i had thought i would be too but that's another story). I'm now more able to appreciate the value of such trips in terms of the impact that they can have on our students. That's not to say that there's been a miraculous change - on the contrary, there's a long way more to go for them (and let's face it, for me too), but certainly i think for all of them it's at least a step in the right direction.

Since getting back i've about a week to prepare for the next trip, which i definitely am looking more forward to than i was the previous one. And to my semi-surprise i've actually gotten quite a bit of prep done (though my bare minimum is rather easy to reach - it involves just listening to this). Few more days to go!

bled dry

The above is the result of the past few weeks of marking, in preparation for the ongoing exams. This has by far been the most i've had to mark, and understandably so given my classes. If only they had been so enthusiastic about handing work in right from the start. But then again, i'm happy to see that they're finally more stressed than i am :)

Can't wait for the opportunity to recharge. It'll take longer than usual to come, but better late than never eh..

by a whisker

The past two weeks have been somewhat more relaxing for me than usual, as i was having reservist. It's a tad disturbing that in someways i've had a more enjoyable time these past two weeks than i've had at work, because one could argue that by extension, i'm better off leaving my job and signing on with the SAF instead. But of course the two weeks is a far from accurate picture of how life would really be like, and if not, truth be told, at least for a split second, i'd be tempted to make the switch.

Perhaps that split second would have come when i somehow managed to do relatively well for my ippt. The run in particular went far better than i could ever have expected. For starters, i came in first, which i don't think has ever happened before. More amazingly was the fact that i ran more than half a minute faster than i've run in living memory, probably attributable to me running longer distances recently. What really counts, though, is not any of this, but the fact that i managed to siam having to go for remedial training, which i was threatened with after having failed my previous ippt by one sit-up.

Anyways, while i'm definitely somewhat dreading going back to work tomorrow, after two weeks of relative mental vacancy (though the first week was spent desperately trying to visit some important marking), i'm also looking forward to seeing my students through their final exams. It's really just a matter of weeks before that's all she wrote, and hopefully after getting back their results i'll be going back to see them really raring to go. Hopefully. Heh.

Appreciated

As much as i'm pissed about the untimely loss of the actual holiday due to typical bureaucratic inflexibility, having this Teachers' Day holiday coincide with the end of the term makes this last day of the term that much sweeter. While i (and i suspect, many a teacher) would much prefer it if, instead of the gifts and other acts of appreciation that come once a year, the students would just give it their all throughout the year, it's always affirming and encouraging to be at the receiving end of these acts. And after today, i must say i've come to appreciate my students even more, not that i'm only saying this because of the gifts, of course. And at the least, this is all the more reason for me to try my best to see that they too try their best, as daunting as the hurdle ahead is...

overdue

Well once again it's been a while since i was last here, and all of a sudden this site's url has changed. And as evident from the many weeks of silence, so has my stress and busyness level. What a change from soaking under the warm, inviting Croatian sun to soaking in my own sweat in the similarly warm but not so inviting classroom. Things seem to have gone by so quickly, but unfortunately far more quickly than my pace of marking can keep up with. Which probably explains why i should get back to my marking and end this abruptly here. Looking forward for a more structured rambling time next time round...

Checkered thoughts

It's three days into my time in Croatia. Here are some typically random thoughts so far:

1. Qatar Airways has my business for as long as i'm able to maintain at least my silver privilege card status. The lounges may not be the best (they are the botton-end ones after all), and the obnoxious types still make it in, but at least they're not so crowded and they do offer some kind of free food, which already is aces as far as i'm concerned.
2. I know it seems as though i've some kind of Europe obsession - i was just thinking back and realised that this is my sixth time in Europe within the past four years (i tried to make that sound as un-show-offy as possible - but really each place i go to is different, and Croatia is no exception.
3. They obviously don't have or get much Asians here, which on the one hand is refreshing (simply because i travel to places with the aim of not being reminded of home), but one the other somewhat discomforting. This is particularly so when so many people give you strange looks, almost as though you're in a zoo. And cultural ignorance/stereotyping comes into play too - so far i've heard some guys mumbling something about karate when i overtook them on a pathway, and also had some guy check his girlfriend's bag to see that all the zippers were tightly shut after she pointed out that i was behind her.
4. I've not been couchsurfing yet as in the places i've been to so far, there aren't many couchsurfers to begin with, and i've also not had timd to send out requests. Will try to couchsurf when i'm back in Zagreb, the capital. This means that i've been in hostels, which so far have been pretty good (well, there've only been two so far actually). You can't choose your hostel dorm room mates though. There was a bunch of young Brits who came in at around 3:30am last night after a pub crawl, switched on the lights and made lots of noise zipping and unzipping stuff and the like, and after five minutes of that, they started talking rather softly and said "hey, don't talk so loud, we might wake them up." I was tempted to sit up and say "too late!" but i controlled myself :p

lounging

It's hardly luxury, but not bad for a start to a somewhat intimidating holiday...

post-marking hangover

Really don't feel like doing anything productive this weekend. At least where work is concerned. Did manage a 2.5 km run at the ECP - haven't run that little in such a long time, but as i'm still recovering from a URTI, i figured that i wouldn't push myself. Also managed three pull-ups. My token way of preparing for the IPPT that i'm supposed to take by mid-August. Much more training to be done. Feel far more inclined to do that than the work stuff, but you know which one will have to be done at the expense of the other. Oh bother.

of damaged thumbs and crossed other fingers

Considering that close to four years of accumulated teaching resources are on it, perhaps it would have been less painful to break an actual thumb

Eat my shorts, Mrs Chong

Earlier this week, i was opening one of the windows in my room when i noticed that its lever (or whatever you call that thingy that you push down to completely shut the window) had come loose. However as it was already dark out, i figured that i could deal with it only when there was some daylight. And the same thing happened again and again throughout the week.

Fast forward to today, when upon waking up, i finally saw the loose shutter lever bathed in daylight. Then it struck me, i'm never in my house during the daylight hours during the week. And come to think of it, there are some buildings i pass by on my way to and from work that i don't even know what their exact colour is since i only see them before six or after seven.

So i guess that's why i felt kind of bad about yesterday evening, when the uncle who's in charge of locking up the staff room after the last staff have left was pretty miffed that i had made him wait for so long - apparently he had some family gathering to go to. It was on my mind all the way home, and i came to the conclusion that while i have not much life out of school, i shouldn't subject that on others.

The conclusion? Well i shall try to leave school by 7:30pm. Still will reach home well after it's turned dark, but well it's a start eh?

more march madness!

and while the month ends, the madness doesn't...

*snap*

and it's over

Public Transport Jinx strikes again

So today i had to be somewhere, and decided to take 175 there, since while being the only bus service to get there, it also magically happens to pass one of the bus stops near my place, at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

So i got to the bus stop and the bus info screen said that it would be 7 minutes until it arrived. Great, i thought, as that gave me enough time to head to Plaza Singapura to withdraw some money first. So i did so, but when i got back to the bus stop the info screen still read 7 minutes. Stupid me figured that it meant that the bus was delayed somewhere, so i went to the red line portion of Dhoby Ghaut to take the train to Lavender, where i could also take the same bus.

However, after reaching the red line portion of the station i saw that i'd just missed the train and the next one would arrive in another five minutes. So i figured, to heck with it, i'd jsut go back to the bus stop and take the bus. Of course, just as i got to the street level on the opposite side of the road from the bus stop, 175 had just reached the stop, and since there was a red man, i was unable to cross the road to catch it.

Of course, i then went back to Plan B, taking the train to Lavender (after waiting a fair bit for the connecting train at city hall) and hoping to catch the same 175 there to my destination. I walked very briskly, as i usually do, past the gantries, but ended up stuck behind a couple with a baby and a heavy and fat stroller blocking the passageway at the escalator headed upwards. Normally i'd ask politely to be let through everytime people are blocking my way, but since they had a stroller and seemed to be having some difficulty with it as it was, i decided to stand there behind them and wait patiently.

What better time for the same 175 that i saw at Dhoby Ghaut to leave the stop then when i finally got to the top of the escalator.

Needless to say, i ended up giving an income opportunity to a cab driver instead..

homeward bound

After close to two weeks in Canada and a couple of days in more familiar territory (Boston), i'm now on an Amtrak train headed back to Washington DC where i'll be spending two more nights before flying home. It always seems to be the case that while initially when you get somewhere for a holiday, time seems to go by rather slowly, but then before you know it time passes far quicker and then it's time to head home. This trip was no exception.

I'm pleased that i had made the decision to spend the bulk of the vacation in Canada even though geographically speaking it may not have made much sense, since my flights in and out of the US are from Washington DC. I had figured that since i've already seen quite a bit of the Eastern United States (or at least stepped foot in most of the states), it made sense then to go to the nearest place to me where i'd not yet been to. It also gave me a good opportunity to be immersed in a language which i, at least in theory am supposed to be familiar with. And it was definitely the case - though as is so often the case, while initially i was rather overwhelmed with the need to speak French, by the time i had left Montreal to head back to Boston i was missing the opportunity to get better by doing so. The winter(-ish) weather in Quebec City was an added plus, not to mention the opportunity to do bona fide winter stuff that is impossible to do in Singapore, such as ice-skate and snowboard outdoors. And as a bonus, along the way back to Washington DC i've passed through the two remaining states in the region that i'd prevously yet to visit (i'd say 'set foot upon', but technically i've only been on a train passing through both Connecticut and Delaware, without actually getting off in either state - but details schmetails eh?)

It's actually only just over three weeks before school starts again, so i can foresee my mood gradually dipping from this point onwards, especially since there's work to do (i did some less-than-token bits of it just now just so i can feel a bit more satisfied with myself). But at least i've had the privilege to travel so extensively here :)

Greyhounding

I’m just about a week into my trip, and am currently on a Greyhound bus bound for Ottawa from Toronto. Thus far it’s been a relaxing and largely enjoyable trip. It was great spending part of the Thanksgiving holiday with my relatives in the DC area – I mean couchsurfing’s great, but it’s always nice to be with people you already know as well – it lends a different aspect to the trip.

After a few days with them, I took an overnight bus all the way up to Toronto. Now, it’s been a while since I’ve taken a bus up to northern Malaysia from Singapore, so I’m not sure how that compares to the DC – Toronto bus, but suffice to say that now that I wish that Megabus covered the Toronto – Ottawa route as well. While it didn’t have those business class seats that some of the Malaysia buses have, it had free (and hi-speed – or at least fast enough) wi-fi, which made me so pleased with myself that I had decided to bring my laptop along (and admittedly, also ponder about getting a tablet of some kind, if not at least a netbook). Now, since I’m stuck on Greyhound, I’m just typing this into a word document that I’ll just cut and paste later on. I have to say though that this Greyhound bus is probably the best one I’ve ever sat in (which is not saying much anyways). As i type this, there’s a finger-sized piece of unidentifiable half-eaten food right under the seat adjustment lever of my seat, not to mention a far-too-squeaky pair of windscreen wipers, doing extra duty in this particularly rainy day.

Toronto is the only place I’m visiting in Canada this time that I’ve been to before. That however was no more than a four-hour day trip from Niagara Falls twelve years ago. The only thing I remember about that visit was gazing upwards at the CN Tower and then retreating underground due to the cold and browsing a bookstore while my mother randomly bumped into someone she hadn’t seen for around twenty-five years. It definitely is worth a visit, regardless of the weather (which, in keeping with my snow jinx status – has remained stubbornly slightly above freezing and rainy). You can just be walking along the street and cross into the next city block and feel like you’re in a totally different place. I remember reading a couple of weeks ago about how someone was basically saying that in terms of a multicultural place, Toronto can’t compete with Singapore. I beg to differ. Singapore is still predominantly Asian, whereas in Toronto the people seem to come from all over the world. At last count I heard at least ten different languages from different continents being spoken. And this was all within a three day period, and only the languages that I could positively identify.

Whenever I travel, I normally try to stay as far away as possible from Chinese food. (Ok, I do that when I’m in Singapore as well =p). What’s the point of travelling for more than a day if you’re going to eat the same thing as you can eat back home? (Though I did have a good bowl of pho at a Vietnamese place in Chinatown, but that was in part due to the rainy weather – you’ll never see me in line for dim sum, that’s for sure).But since being on my own and on a budget means that I’ve usually taken my meals at food courts here, I’ve found that hard to do. Maybe it’s due to the large ethnic Chinese population here that even the “Bourbon Street Grill” and “Caribbean Queen” serve up chow mein as one of their meal offerings, let alone the stalls that sell other types of Asian food. At least I did have one satisfying Greek (or at least Greek-inspired) meal, which I was quite happy with.

So anyways, we’ll see if the weather gets better by the time I reach Ottawa. Forecast, last I checked, is for rain for two days, then a sunny day, followed by some light snow showers. And wouldn’t you know it? That’s the day I leave town… #snowjinx

One thankful turkey...