UPDATE
reader k | 10/31/2006 08:56:00 AM | 1 comments

another batch of graduates.
another year passed.
reh and i sat beside each other again, only this time, we're there to listen to other teachers' speeches and words for their students.
there we are, reminising our dear sec 5s,
shed tears over other teachers' very touching words and their tears.
and then we laughed at each other.

i left the hall by the time the grad night briefing came on,
to save myself some more tears.

here's a picture of my O levels art students:



when they were still young and very cute and clueless about art coursework for O levels. :)

reader k | 10/20/2006 04:07:00 PM | 2 comments

i don't remember you,
i only want the money back.
i only remembered you promising to return the money.
I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER YOU.
so much for being virtue.
you can continue to write out how bitter guilt can be.
but i doubt you will ever know how to be guilty.
you'd only know how to act - BLANK.
reader k | 10/17/2006 10:18:00 PM | 0 comments

went to NAFA with the sec 3 kids for the first day of their art prep course. pretty alright but i think our kids need to be less shy and speak up more. after the 3 hours of drawing class, we brought them to the oposite ART FRIEND shop to look at some art materials. When I was paying for the charcoal pencils, i realised that the auntie at the cashier was the same auntie who operates the ART FRIEND back in PARKLANE when NAFA was still on Selegie Road. i said 'hello' and asked if she still remembers me. to my surprise, she said 'yes!' and said that i didn't change a bit :) that was 10 years ago!!!!! quite scary to think about it. then we talked a little about how nice she used to have these tables outside the shop for us to do our work, to eat and sometimes we even put our bags there to 'choop' place while we go somewhere else without our heavy bags and big portfolios.

how i missed those days.

sophia uncle.
art friend auntie.
reader k | 10/16/2006 06:29:00 PM | 1 comments

Fabien the Ho said...
I like reading your cryptic blogs.
They boggle my mind and make me smile even though they sometimes seem to be about sad longings... But mostly they remind me of how much I miss you :) x

that made me went digging up all the photos we have taken.
it's been bloody 13 years!


the night you said you're going to shave your head. this was you the next day.


one of our frequent visits to sophia uncle photos. he took us without us knowing.
(yaya, chin, fab, benny, kaka)


one of the many silly things we used to do together - Run for Women. of course we walked. constance got iced-milo in her shoes. such things will only happened to her! :)


our stupid graduation - NAFA 1996 hehehe


we went to help you pack. you were leaving for uk :(


we said goodbye with BIG smiles :)


before long, i appeared in uk to disturb you! haha!


attended your graduation...


...and big hugs of you and yaya in the sun.


and you flew 13 hours from uk to see me get married .


i still keep this photo in my favourite organiser.
i was 22, you both were 20.

reader k | 10/14/2006 12:32:00 AM | 4 comments

O levels coursework and prepwork all done!

ok, i'm lying.
the fashion boards need to be mounted.
the ceramics tear-drops need to be glued down.

otherwise,
it is
DONE!
DONE-ED!!!

it will be DONE by tomorrow.

:)
reader k | 10/11/2006 07:29:00 PM | 1 comments

one of those days i wanted to see her
one of those days i was furiously constructing house chores.


that day i found myself able to tell her
that day i found myself not able to reply promptly - it was such a pleasant surprise to hear from her.


i thought we could look at disturbing pictures and not feel compelled to speak
i thought about me talking too much after looking at disturbing pictures. she may not want to listen.


i am not sure if it would be a good thing
i am not sure if it would be a good thing too.


i am not sure if her mind would run wild
i am not sure why she would think that my mind would run wild.


i am quite sure staying away would be the best for everybody
i ..............


but i miss her friendship too
ditto.


i am a human being
one that is dear to me.


my fears are humane
my humane fears are that these are not about me. i am only assuming.
reader k | 10/10/2006 06:02:00 PM | 1 comments

the art room is hot and toasty, yet kids like to hang around there, art or non-art students. maybe it's the food, maybe it's the big space, maybe it's the dirty sink or maybe just because we have this lousy big screen projection that they can use to entertain themselves with their korean drama series.

lately a bunch of kids have been chasing their korean drama series all the way from home to school. previously i've allowed them to use a period or two, at the most, during my pressence, to watch these vcds. mostly during my lessons, or recess. i understand their tiredness from the numerous mock exams and was agreeable to them taking a short while to unwind and relax. i thought they'd understand my goodwill too. apparently not. instead, this good gestures from me has been taken for granted.

the art room was locked by 12 noon today as all the art teachers were out of school to visit a student at her home. the room key was given to ONE student who had intended to come by after school to complete his prep work. he was allowed to hold on to the keys as we would be engaged in a long meeting after school and would want to avoid having him to have to come look for us later just to get the keys. so, no other student has access to the art room after that.

we returned at 1pm. the art room was already opened. one student was doing her art work; another group was chatting but doing some worksheet for science at the same time. since they were doing work, i didn't interfere. they told me the teacher is not there and they are to have self-study at the study corner. since they are already doing work, i let them stay on, as long as i'm in the room.

the noise from the next room drew me over. a group of non-art students were watching vcd in the next room. my immediate order was: "switch it off. i didn't give you permission to be here watching this. " after which, i went back to the next room to do my work. 5 to 10 mins later, the group of them stroll past. i caught the eyes of one last girl and asked if they have switched off everything. she said yes. and off they went, without saying "sorry", "thankyou teacher", "goodbye". i went over to the room, the fans were not switched off.

what were they thinking?

what right do they have to mis-use the trust i have for them?
why do they think that they can just walk in and out of art room and use the facilities without asking for permission? even the art students asked for permission to use the OHP for their work. these are non-art students.

my care and concern for all students sprang from understanding of their needs. i'd do my best to provide and take care. i'd give them certain privileges because they deserved them, not because they need them, or want them. but they took advantage of my kindness.

for this, i need to let them know that the world doesn't revolve around them.

they have spoilt all the fun, for themselves, and for the others.
reader k | 10/09/2006 11:26:00 PM | 0 comments

i didn't forget.
i wanted to be late.
happy belated birthday.

there, you are now as old as i am.
reader k | 10/09/2006 11:23:00 PM | 0 comments

reconnected with 2 persons who are dear to me,
after a long while, out of the blue.
am glad they are well - the only thing i want of them.

words said too quickly, i suppose i left us no space to think or react, thus, silent for this long while. one for 9 months, the other, 2 years.

today i told a student that he's too slow at doing things.

"do you take this long too to even think about what to have for dinner?"

"yes, that's why i'd prefer people to tell me what i should eat."

9 months.
2 years.
are these times long enough to consider breaking the silence?
then again, we connect through words - one through sms, one through email.

now, where's the sound?

i hope that's in phase 2.





reader k | 10/06/2006 11:53:00 PM | 0 comments

today i found a new reason why biscuits are fast gone from the art room.
faster than paint finishing.
it's a perfectly logical reason: people ate them.

they are bought to be eaten anyway.

my obsession with biscuits not to be gone that fast must have sprang from the presence of the biscuits i have at home. they are purchased, stored, finally opened the following week, a few eaten, stored, and forever forgotten. they are still there in the box, in the cupboard, but forgotten by me. until i purchase another box, and while storing this new box, i'd notice the forgotten one.

i should be glad that the biscuits in the art room are not forgotten, instead, highly sought after.

please help yourself. :)
reader k | 10/04/2006 10:53:00 PM | 1 comments

today i made all the wrong selections for food.
i ate a tasteless lor-mee in school.
i left my char-siew rice lunch till its cold and the rice turned soggy.
i ordered a too-hot-and-too-sour noodle soup that is a total disastrous. i can't even finish 1/4 of it. it doesn't go with noodles and i really wonder who came up with such a dish!
so i ordered a serving of char-kway-tiao, but because it's halal, it has no fatty, crispy pork oil, no chinese pork sausage and it's just argh!

so, it seems that i've eaten a lot today, but nah.

at least i don't "steal" over-night moon cakes from the art-room like kelvin and tenghui did. :)
reader k | 10/02/2006 10:09:00 PM | 1 comments