Musings

During my first year or was it my second year at University..(my memory fails me..), I had to complete a few weeks of teaching practice. To start with, I was placed at a primary school with a coursemate.. No `real' teaching was done at first since we basically had to observe the teachers in action and jot down all possible tips we could get from the classes we were in.. What the teacher did, how she did it.. was it a good thing.. We had to be REFLECTIVE.. Anyway our first class which i recall was with the little ones.. maybe aged between 5-6.. Things I remember: The kids were adorable creatures with 1001 behaviours.. The class was a colourful array of papers and objects.. (with tiny chairs & tables).. .. and of course the phrase used by one teacher still fresh in my memory: silly billy Whenever a child made a mistake or was behaving badly.. the teacher would say.. `Oh, you're a silly billy aren't you..' or 'Don't be a silly billy'. . And till this...

At the age that I am, I am well aware that life is not made up of happy endings all the way. You get your spectrum of moments and that is life as it is. But when reading a book or watching a movie..., what I want to see is a happy ending. And when I get to the end of a story I thought would give me an ending it deserved - especially after going through the ups and downs of a character.. it just upsets me that someone has to die or that the ending falls far from my expectations.. Just had that moment with a book I finally finished - `Never Let Me Go' - ok the title maybe should've given me a clue of it's possible ending.. But still.. Kazuo Ishiguro (the author) writes beautifully. His strength lies in his ability to describe events with such detail. The plot is fascinating.. though I kinda only got it almost towards the end of the story- that the children in it were `clones'.. or `designed' to be used as donors.. It didn't emphasize that explicitly in the novel b...

As I write this entry it is with realisation that it is my 100th. Nothing to be proud of really but kinda making it a big deal cuz the number sounds grand :) So.. upon returning from the land so fondly called `Down Under', I was thinking of writing 100 things about my trip..erm.. would anyone be interested to read it? Let's try.. The FLIGHT 1. I love MAS. 2.Truly laden with MH= malaysian hospitality 3. it fed us with ice-cream on both journeys to and fro.. 4. with superb in-flight entertainment :D 5. read my book only on the way to Aussie but not on the way back.. too distracted by the entertainment on board.. ;) The WORKSHOP 6. The IB workshop drained me but I learnt a lot 7. made new friends! from Australia, Jakarta, India, etc.. 8. got material to use in class 9. it was a fully digital experience as we had to refer to stuff from a website - so EVERYONE was with a laptop.. kinda reminded me of a class with students who use the laptop while I'm teaching.. haha.. 10. thi...

Will embark on a journey to a different continent in less than 24 hours from now.. Want to write something `wow' here but packing my small suitcase and worrying about whether I'm gonna be carrying too much (or too little) has made me exhausted.. Packing sure is a chore.. Am also paranoid that I will leave something behind.. I guess going away for a few days does that to someone.. The cats will be missed of course. One tried to get packed with my belongings as he sat in the suitcase.. cute.. I suppose they sense that we'll be leaving them behind.. As usual, one of the must have's to be packed with my essentials is a story book. It should keep me company on my 8 hour flight.. I have chosen The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo . A book I bought last year but never got round to reading.. I tend to read more on holidays as compared to my normal working days. But wait. I'm not going on a holiday.. This is more like a business trip.. Anyhoo.. will pretend that I'm on a h...

When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone, When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along When your day is night alone, hold on If you feel like letting go, hold on When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on 'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long, When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on Well, everybody hurts sometimes, Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on Everybody hurts. You are not alone -R.E.M- A famous song in the 90s I used to listen to. Thought...

Two years ago I did a poetry writing lesson with some previous students during the month of April - National Poetry Month. They were given a list of words and asked to make up a poem.. This was what I made up out of the given words. Somehow felt like sharing this since I've been doing poems in class recently.. Enjoy! If I have magic I’d make teardrops delicious I’d eat on the moon I’d ride on a balloon I’d make school funny I’d make today sunny If I have magic I’d make dreams true Dreams of love Dreams of you If I have magic I’d make you mine I’d make you love me Only me ps/ Let me say for the record that this was not intended for anyone. I was just using the words given.. ;)

I once picked out a quote that stated two kinds of readers: those who read to remember and those who read to forget.. Perhaps we could also say that people write to remember and be remembered..? Have been harping on about writing to my students lately and stressing that in the exams there's always a communicative purpose behind every writing task they have to complete. After all, what is writing if not to serve a purpose. Once you know why you're writing, things may become much clearer.. focused.. and ideas will flow.. Of course there are people like us, who blog.. or write diaries, who may not write for any particular purpose or audience.. And so then.. why do we write? (when we know very well that only a fraction of the people we know will read it... at least in my case that is..) Some people do not share the same concept or need for a blog or a diary.. Why does someone need to write about feelings and stuff..? In my defense, I write.. to put my thoughts in order.. to even...