Sunday, August 12, 2007
{ 8/12/2007 10:26:00 PM }
Prelims starts tomorrow!
Okay. I got to rush through this post because I wanna go back to finish up my revision already.
This was what I wanna post. Its dedicated to everyone out there having upcoming examinations! May it be an inspirition to all of you ! ((:
A Street Kid's Guide
(How to get from here to there)
It's hard to get from here to there
If you never get out of bed.
You lie a lot to fool your friends
But you fooled yourself instead.
It's hard to get from here to there
If you set your goals too high;
Then nothing ever works our right;
Too soon, you no longer try.
But the hardest way to get from here to there
Is when all you ever do
Is count up the years, and miles to go.
Then you're through before you're through.
So how do you get from here to there?
Well, you first must believe you can
Let no one tell you differently -
It's your life and it's in your hands.
Then turn your dreams into your goals
And see what you need now
To satisfy the requirements:
Then why, the where and how.
At first you're overwhelmed, of course;
There is so much you don't know.
But keep your faith, be strong and sure,
For you do have a way to go.
Take careful steps and do them right,
Take pride in each thing done.
Don't look too far ahead of yourself,
Just that next step yet to come.
Before you know it you'll be there, friend,
Your dream will then be real.
And you'll be standing where I am now,
Telling others how good it feels.
You'll tell them not to quit themselves,
To have faith, thought it's hard to bear.
So they will know it can be done -
They, too, can get from here to there.
-
I'll update more tomorrow!
And DPA RESULTS ARE OUT TOMORROW! PLEASE PRAY FOR ME :'(
SIGH.
GOOD BYE WORLD.
TOMORROW IS THE BATTLE!
Friday, August 10, 2007
{ 8/10/2007 04:18:00 PM }
POST UPDATED: PICTURES UPLOADED!I wanna take a break from mugging so I want to post up this story. I quite like it. Heh. Its not that powerful but its simple enough to convey a message (:
The Wedding Ring
In high school creative writing class I teach, I try hard to give assignments designed to make my students think about the details of life. In describing these details, I've found, they produce some of their best writing. They make good use of each of their senses as well as their creativity to get to the heart of things. This is how, if they and I are lucky, they find their own best creative writing voices. For some of my students, those voices express certain sentiments that desperately need an outlet.
Recently, I asked the students to describe an object and its particular significance to them personally. They have a week to complete the assignment. But one of my students, Kerry Steward, apporoached me the next day and told me she wouldn't do it.
I knew Kerry fairly well. She had been in my class for 2 years, her sophomore and junior years. She was a good writer and very cooperative. So this statement of hers surprised me. I looked at her for a minute as she stood by my desk. Her attitude of defiance was completely uncharacteristic, so I asked her to come in after school to discuss further.
When I saw her again later that day, she wasn't defiant anymore, but she still said she wouldn't do the assignment. She asked if she could have a different one. Something in her voice made me ask her what this was all about.
"Are you haveing trouble thinking of some object?" I asked.
She was quiet for a minute. Then she said, "No. Last night, when I told my mom about the assignment, she said she had an idea of something special for me to write about. She took me into her room. She opened this big jewelery box she has. I thought she was going to show me a pair of earrings or something that had belonged to her mother. I was already thinking about lots of terrific things she had told me about my grandmother to write about. That would have been an easy essay to write."
She stopped for a moment. I could see that she was having a hard time with her next thoughts.
"But she didn't give me a piece of my grandmother's jewelery. She took out the wedding ring my father had given her and handed it to me."
I thought for a minute. I remembered from conferences that Kerry's parents had a different last name. But her stepfather had always beens interested in Kerry's progress and as proud of her achievements as her mother. So I had just assumed that even though they were a blended family, they were a happy one. And Kerry always seemed so well-adjusted that I never had any reason to assume differently.
But, the teenager in front of me was miserable. "How could she have kept that right? How could she want me to have it?" Kerry began to cry. "They got divorced when I was a baby. I don't even want to know what he looks like. He's never wanted to see me or hear from me. I hate him! Why would I want to have that stupid wedding ring?"
Kerry's anger was acute. I let her cry for a minute. Then I asked, gently, "What did you do then?"
"I threw the ring as hard as I could against the wall. It made a mark and fell behind the oak dresser. Then I ran into my room and slammed the door." Kerry took a tissue from my desk and blew her nose. "My mom didn't yell at me or anything. She didn't even make me move the dresser and get the ring."
Wise woman, I thought.
"You don't have to write about that ring," I said. "You know you can choose anything you want, don't you?" Even as I said it, I knew that Kerry had, in fact, wanted to at least talk if not write about that ring. I knew that all the rage and frustration of an abandoned child were symbolized in that ring. But I'm an English teacher, not a psychologist and certainly not Kerry's mother. It wasn't my place to force her to express painful feelings. I told her she was excused from the assignment.
That night, I called Kerry's mother. I thought she should know about Kerry's and my conversation. She thanked me for letting her know. Then she said, "I didn't realize how angry she is - not just at her father, but at me also. But, I kept that ring to remind me of good times in my marriage - there were good times." She paused. Then she said softly, "If I hadn't married him, I wouldn't have Kerry."
"Tell her," I said.
The next day, I waited anxiously for Kerry's class to begin. I had spent a sleepless night. Kerry's feelings were so understandable. But, I hoped that the obvious love between mother and daughter and the secure family they had now would help Kerry deal with those feelings.
Kerry smiled at me when she came in. She said, "I'm a little sore today. I moved some heavy furniture last night."
I smiled back. For a minute, I was tempted to make some comment about weights being lifted, but then Kerry stepped forward and put a composition on my desk. "Read it later," she whispered.
Her essay about the wedding ring was short. Kerry wrote:
'Things are just things -They have no power to hurt or to heal. Only people can do that. And we can all choose whether to be hurt or healed by the people who love us.'That was all.
And that was everything.
*********************************
:D
FINALLY! Took me a while to type out the story. Lol. Heh.
I was inspired by that short essay. How true. How true. (:
Anyway...
I wanna upload some random photos but the photobucket and blogger uploading are taking super long. DANG. I can only put it up on my blog when all of the photos I want has been uploaded. :/ *Grumble grumble* I'm able to finally upload the photos :D
I didn't go for ASEAN Dance but nuts and me popped by over to see how things were going! Heres Elgin, Tim, Amoz and me
H.C.T.A. Right. Lol. Huizyi. Christabel, Tim and Me.
Daughter and Mummy. When you're stressed from mugging, you camwhore to destress. It works :P Trust me on this. Its eventually quite fun :P
Check out the different facial expressions! We DAO...
We SMILE...
We ACT CUTE. Narcissistic, aren't we? Of course! Daughter and Mummy what! :D
R.O.D Dinner for 1st Student Council at Mandrain Hotel!
Cam-Whore :X
The day of Student Council R.O.D Ceremony. HEH. Joshua, Ivan, Bin Soon, Bryant, Me (:
School Carnvial 002! My Sec 5E1 class, Mr Lai (form teacher) and our principal (DA MAN! :D), Mr Ng! Posing in front of our dunkin' pool store! :D I swear I look retarded! :X Lol.
The stupid photos take so darn long to upload ><" Now I remember why I hardly upload photos on my blog. SIGH
***
OH YEAH. 'IF ONLY' WAS A SAD MOVIE. THE ENDING WAS SOOOO SAD. SOB. WHY MUST THEY MAKE SUCH AN ENDING. SIGH. RIGHT OR NOT, NUTS?! :'( SOB.
Anyway, enjoy your rest of the long weekend! But its like coming to an end :'(
-wails- (Means that prelims are just drawing nearer and nearer!)
RARR. :X
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
{ 8/08/2007 01:03:00 PM }
ITS BEEN A LONG LONG TIME SINCE I UPDATED. ><"Today was National Day celebration. All ACS schools including JC were gathered together at Queenstown Stadium for celebration. I swearrr. It was super boring. Like, bloody sian. ><'' I can't believed I wasted so much time at that place lar. Sigh. However, the good thing is that I get to see some of my old friends from ACJC! Like Bernard!! :D Whee! Hahaha!
Now I'm back home. Nothing to do yet. Maybe mug or play for a while first. Lol.
Friends are going to ASEAN Dance and I've made the choice of not going. And yet, at the start of this year... I was keen on going for it this year. But now, prelims are just next monday! SIGH. Must mug lar :/ Oh well. NEXT YEAR! :D Lol.
Heard that there was some slipped up issues in the planning of going to the ASEAN Dance. Now, some unfavourable people are going. I dont know. I'm quite okay with it and not exactly bothered by it but I'm more concerned about how the other people feels:X
I want to go because it was a chance to dress up and look nice :P Another reason was that, I wanna stand around and look at the suckers trying to ask a dance from the ladies. LOL. I'm sooo mean but oh well. Heh. And usually after these events,
'Many new flowers blossom for everyone to talk and look at.' :P (
Infer infer!!) Hahaha.
OKAY. Thats all for now. See you all around and have a nice day ahead! :D All the best to preliminary O'levels ahead! :D
