Geography: What About It?

Today marks my last day as a relief teacher! Originally, it was supposed to be Wednesday but due to some administrative insolubility - and why does this word strike a chord with the subject of Chemistry -, it has been decided that I'll bid farewell to the career on this fateful day.

As customary of a person forsaking a sedentary(relatively, since it was just a three week stint) place in search of a greener pasture (not so green for me since waitering will be my call for the next few weeks!), I respectfully informed a number of teachers, whom I have studied under or worked with, that I was saying goodbye. On one occasion, I spoke to my ex-Geography teacher, who happened to be the kind and enthuasiastic Ms Seow.

Progressing from the usual "Goodbye" and "Good luck", she talked about my consistently excellent performance in the subject of H1 Geography back in my JC years. "We are still using your answer scripts as model answers for the current batch of students, you know!" she said unhesistantly (At that point of time, I regretted for "donating" everything that had to do with H1 geography to the dustbin as a "post-A-level exercise"). Typical of a conservative Asian, I tried to tone down the praise by regurgitating cliched phrases of humility such as, "no la, not really that good la." To my surprise though, I topped the act of modesty with a straight-from-the-heart, unscripted, unmoderated, spontaneous confession: "Actually, I love Geography more than I am good at it".

Harking back that the previous statement, I realise that of all the subjects that I have taken in A-Level, nothing beats Geography. Both Physics and Chemistry are easy-to-tackle and interesting subjects, but I guess there is too much of science stuff in my brain that it creates an imbalance with respect to the more artistic realm of knowledge. Mathematics is all about formulas and application, which is not appealing to a person whose life is overly-cluttered with practicality. GP somehows screws up my writing skill and logic, so it is definitely out of my list of likable things. Removing other auxiliary subjects, all that stands alone in the limelight is Geography, the passion for which is both insatiable and unwithering.

As a young child, I had freely embraced Geography by reading innumerable volumes of geography books, playing around with the flow of tidal streams during the ebb of the sea tide, bending down to examine random stones in my uncle's oil palm plantation and leaping with estatic joy when I had found the source of a particular stream. Somehow the flame of passion is carried all the way to my junior college years as evident through my choice of Geography over the more popular Economics as a contrasting H1 subject.

The modern life demands a great measure of practicality to the extent that even the subjects we choose to read must be of some practical use when it comes to degree application or career search. Frankly, subjects such as Physics and Chemistry grant a wider access to different university courses such as Medicine, Engineering, Science, Business and Dentistry that, in the long run, insure a person with many career opportunities and good income. Geography, on the other hand, has limited practical value and person studying it would most likely wind up being a teacher or at best, a university lecturer.

However, Geography is my ideal brain food. I have never studied a subject with as much interest and commitment as I did with Geography. Partnering with Billy, I pursued the completion of two Geography case study projects with so much unabated fervour, intimate meticulousness and irreproducible ingenuity that I doubt I could do a better job given a second opportunity. My love for Geography is ineffable - I just love it as though that feeling has been hammered to my basal instinct.

Perhaps, I should read a minor in Geography while studying Chemical Engineering. Perhaps....

The Beauty of Blogging

I have spent the last hour skimming through friend's posts, reading interesting posts and chuckling at the various comical video clips that have been put up, and smiling at the common passion that embrace most of us: blogging.

Blogging is in vogue nowadays as both normal citizens and political heavyweights have indulged in the activity to rattle out anything that forms the part and parcel of their thoughts and reflection. Suddenly, in the world of advanced information and communication technology, you feel left out if you don't blog. There is always something to belch out from our mind onto this open-for-all journal that is free of charge and is easily accessible with a computer and the internet.

I am not here to argue against the deliberate loss of privacy as bloggers consciously and willingly reveal their private life for the public viewing of the Internet community. Instead, I am eager to examine the root of the blogging "craze" - why do people blog?


It is easy to discern political, economical and social motivations of blogging. To politicians, blogging has turned out to be an effective tool of mass appeal and a means to garner votes. Popular bloggers, not excluding Kenny Sia, benefit financially from blogging by earning commision via various advertisements that have been put up on their blogs. Additionally, the use of links to connect to other blogs has expanded the purpose of blogging to creating a large social network, whereby bloggers can read each other's blog and interact with one another.


However, I have little interest in the "shallow" reasons in the previous paragragh. I have sought for a common, deeper purpose that unite all blogger in urge to scribble out something on the "online paper". It is something that reaches out to the most secluded corner of our heart and rake the very foundation of our emotions.

Upon the examination of so many posts, i conclude that it is perhaps human nature to tell his or her story. Man is a social animal, Socrates once quoted. This behaviour is responsible for the urge to interact with one another through the recounting of events, experiences and reflections that we have encountered. Thanks to the advent of communication technology, we are able to bring about the fulfillment of such desire via web blogging. Blogging provides a platform whereby we can freely write about anything between heaven and earth and to share with other blogging mates. Though some are content with setting up a private blog accessible to selected few peers, the purpose of telling one's story does not fall short of meaning since there is still a transfer, though in smaller traffic, of such information between individuals.

We are all great storytellers and writers. It doesn't matter so much about the truth of our story; what matters most is how we tell it by weaving in hyberboles, acting out a drama on it or even putting down that account in pen and pen. Contradictory to the "conventional history" of old textbooks, our "personal history" is one which is compelling, emotionally touching, life inspiring and ultimately communicating with the core of humanity that lies deep within us. Kudos to the creative intellect of mankind!

Time

It has been a relatively long time since I have updated my blog -actually, it had only been four days since something was put up on my blog but the duration felt like a lifetime of a sage, if not longer to an incessant person who simply cannot keep his thought within the confine of his brain.

Anyway, I can only attribute my four-day absence from blogging activity to the enormous workload and lengthy hour demanded of my current job, though it sounds ironic since teachers are perceived to have among the shortest working hours and may leave school when lessons end. To give a clearer picture of the current state of affair, I left school only at 6.30pm yesterday hence clinching a personal record of 11 working hours as a teacher.

As always, I'm currently at work. Given the multitude of interruption that a poor relief teacher can get, there is little time to commit uninterruptedly to producing a coherent mindpiece. Always about time.

Qualifying English Test

Sometimes, your past can come back to haunt you. The clattering sound of the chains of regret would issue from the near-forgotten memory, to remind you that the past misery is all but dead.

When I penned down my last word in A-Level General Paper examination last year, I was overjoyed to believe that the subject, which was a pain in the neck, would never appear again in my life. Yup, I was not deeply shocked when I saw the letter D aligned to the right of "General Paper" upon receiving my result slip earlier this year. All would be fine, I told myself.

So persisted the illusion until today, when my dear friend Billy gave me a shocking revelation. "If you get into NUS and score below C for General Paper, there is this Qualifying English Test (QET) that you have to sit." My heart skipped a beat as I took up a QET sample paper and flipped through the pages. In the essay section, I caught sight of a phrase that goes, ".... Do you agree with the statement?"

Now, doesn't that sound argumentative and to a large measure, GP-ish in nature? To make matter worse, I am taken back by the reality that I will still have to take English as course at undergraduate level after studying the subject from kindergarten. Frankly, what is so wrong with my English? I do confess that it is not perfect - i occasionally commit grammatical errors at odd times - but it is still fair. I don't speak with a broken English and I certainly don't write in the same dilapidated manner. Getting a D in GP is lamentable but is it necessary to use that as tool of judgement to include me in the QET? Billy said that taking QET was degrading to our command of English.

I am saddened by the new reality that is suddenly thrust into my life. Initially, I thought that I could exempt myself from QET with my SAT scores (i took SAT as a backup anyway). However, it was shocking to note that NUS requires at least 750 for critical reading and writing (it am not sure whether whether this is the combined score or the minimum score for each section) and a score of at least 10 for essay. Anyway, I fall a little short of achieving the requirement by scoring 730, 700, and 9 for critical reading, writing, and essay section respectively. If tears cannot roll down from my eyes, then they would roll all the way into the deepest corner of my heart.

All I can tell myself is,"Ryan, buck up your spirit and sit for the test on July the 18th. All will be fine, God willing." All will be fine, I pray.

First Day as A Relief Teacher

Here I am, sitting in the cubicle-dominated staffroom of SAJC and bending the limit of professional ethics by indulging in blogging at workplace. How interesting!

Anyway, here is a little background on my job scope:

Sitting in for every JC1 chemistry lecture (if you call that work!)

Tutoring several JC1 classes which I refuse to name.

Aiding in some administrative work including paper marking (paper marking suddenly sounds like a clerical work).

Attending Chemistry tutor meetings every Wednesday and Thursday.

Helping out in the administrative matters relating to Science Fair.

Doing other menial tasks that are thrown upon me ad hoc.

Pretending to be professional while my inner self is quivering at the sight of tutors and students alike since I am not of the “professional clan” (frankly, this is by far the most difficult!).

Anyway, I am grateful to end up relief-teaching in SAJC than in any other school. I am familiar with the environment, system and people. I know my whereabout on the first day itself since it is impossible for an ex-Saint to lose his orientation in the sprawling labyrinth of the school compound.

Sitting in for two tutorials and invilating a mock test is truly an eye-opening experience since they have revealed to me a different perspective of the school, from the vantage point of the teachers of course. Frankly speaking, you are in a classroom wearing an attire that is so totally different from your students and screaming at the top of the lungs just to pull the strings of their attention to me.

Another point worthy of mention involves my observation of the chemistry tutors. Apart from teaching the same subject, they appear to be highly interested in the same thing: fashion. There is always an impeccable sense of style which underlies their conversation (like one teacher saying, “Oh, I went to Zara the other day and had a mini shopping spree” only to be joined in by another teacher who claimed, “Ikea has so many nice furniture, so irresistable to buy!).

Hah, first day at work as a teacher is not bad. At least, I have done well in avoiding stupid mistakes that would have betrayed my childishness.

Wasting Time

These days, I have been living in a frugal manner, always thrifty in the matter of money-spending andcooking my own meal (often two meals at one time, that is one meal to be eaten immediately and the other to be kept for future consumption) to avoid the expensive food outside. However, today is slightly different as I made a pilgrimage to Donut Factory (don't remind me about how gastronomically delightful the doughnuts are) for breakfast.

Well, neither was breakfast the raison detre - I went there for better internet access - and nor was I alone as Alice came trudging along (she is the one giving the idea of breakfasting out). She needed my help for her Preliminary Idea or PI (guys, have you forgotten the misery that was Project Work in JC1) so as a responsible "mum" to his/her "Maria", I can't really leave her in deep shit right?

$5.50 was worthily paid for a fine breakfast consisting of two doughnuts, one Double Chocolate and the other Mocca something..., in addition to a cappuccino (though I was said that they could have brewed the coffee better). After munching down breakfast, we set off to summarising Alice's PI from a hefty 900 words to a lean 520. Time spent was two hours and mission was accomplished.

Then, I setted my vision to my right upon a group of young students who were occupying a long conjoined table with books and notepads. They were doing homework, or so it seemed. A little past five minutes after they sat down, murmurs were heard from the table and two hours later, it became a full-blown chatting about trivial matters, gossips and the latest hip in pop industry. No longer did I see the fingers scribbling on paper as the youngsters turned to talking as their main activity. Eyes began to stray from the textbooks as they affixed themselves on irrelevant things like passing people and each other.

I don't mean to eavesdrop or spy on them but the attitude that was abhorrently displayed depicted how youngsters in Singapore take comfort for granted. You have a fine environment to study: an air-conditioned lounge-like setting with food and drinks, little noise except the sound of sipping coffee and light footsteps. Yet, you exploit it by socialising unnecessarily when homework piles before your eyes. Okay, it's good to get together as a means of group study but please don't turn this initiative into a senseless chatting session. Save that for MSN tonight!

I must confess that in our work, Alice and I did talk but the content was more pertinent to the matter at hand than to anything else. Only when we had completed the self-assigned task did we invest our interest in gossips and hearsays.

There was a distinct line between work and relaxation though it has become more and more blurred these days. Work is often interrupted by leisure even before it is completed, hence the waste of precious time and energy. Most often, the product of work lacks quality since there is little commitment put into making the best of the available resources and distraction deprives the mind of full, undivided concentration.

Why, in the luxury of opportunities and resources in abound, do man choose to slack? Perhaps, that is man: he who does not appreciate until all is lost.