Magic in Writing

I resent English teachers who tell their kids to memorise essays in preparation for exams. Is language merely worth the marks that you get? So what if you get A1 if the work isn't yours? Or so what if it's yours but you've written it for 100th time, just trying to twist a bit of that narrative to fit that title?

It disgusts me. I know there is a format to writing. There might be guidelines. Even the best writers have some tricks that they use very often. But that does not mean that writing should be mechanical. Language is magic. It's not supposed to be driven by the desire to score marks. The best writing doesn't come from mere construction of the mind. It is construction from the soul.

When I was writing my composition in Secondary School, I would sit and stare for 30 minutes before starting. Inspiration had to strike. I wasn't going to force it out of me. It was going to flow onto paper most naturally. I've written stuff that I can remember till now. Most importantly I have written stuff that mattered to me.

It is the teacher's responsibility to ensure the student scores well. I bet she'd say, "But what about the student's standard? If he or she can't even construct a proper sentence...". But surely when you've got hour after hour of English lessons week after week for a couple of years, there's no reason to make them more dreary than they should be by taking away the magic and joy of self-expression and imagination.

Being exam-smart is great, but surely there's more to learning than scoring marks for a paper.

Less Tuition

Over the course of this week, 4 out of my 6 students have "graduated" from having tuition with me for the rest of the academic year. I'm most likely only going to continue taking the Sec 2 one to Sec 3 this year.

The feeling of the last lesson is weird. I've gone through so much with them. But Somehow I'm just a bit less enthusiastic. It could probably be the fact that I'm drowning in school work. But nonetheless tuition is a job I enjoy because I manage to do it for hours on end. Today I had 4 kids from 2PM till 930PM, just because they are having PSLE Maths tomorrow!

I'm quite relieved. Now for once my weekend is free and isn't blocked off with hours of continuous teaching. I need this break. But during this time I'll have even less money to spend. It's quite a shitty situation. I work because of the financial security and the fact that I wouldn't have to rely on my parents.

Guess I'll just have to cut down on my spending.

School's getting exciting because of the projects that I feel passionately for. My electives are really horrible and I'll just have to SU one of them. I'm thankful for the friends I'm working with especially Ness, Ros, Qiqi and Nessie. I'm just grateful they understand when I can't be there for work, but this semester I really tried my very hardest! I'm just really lucky to have them looking out for me.

There's so much going on in my head. But with less tuition, hopefully I'll be able to cope better with life and school. And getting the internship I want as well!

A Treat

Stay Strong

No one knows what could happen in the future. A lot could happen in two years. We might not be where we want to be. We may not be the people we once were. We may not be with the ones we hold so dear.

I don't know where I see myself in two years. And there's no point forcing an answer because truly, there is no black or white. There's no yes or no.

So all I can say is that we should take things one step at a time. Focus on the small goals without losing sight of the big dreams. Sometimes it's hard work. Sometimes it's the work of fate.

Maybe the key is to try our best so that something good will happen. Having regrets aren't a thing of choice but when I look back I don't want to have them.

So I will stay strong. I promise.

A Givenchy Birthday

Another year older, but more birthday thoughts in another entry.

Celebrated it with the gang at Timbre after chilling out at Ros' place for Hari Raya. Spent super a lot of money on drinks and food. The theme for the night was "come in your most BOOMS stripes or zebra/leopard prints".

I think the dress code photographed rather well.

The present took me by surprise. It was Play from Givenchy. I mentioned it only once so I never expected to see it as I unwrapped the small box. I was thinking cufflinks or something!

Hot topics of discussion included sex before marriage, how hand-holding with your partner is a clue on who's the dominant person in the relationship, French for "Would you like to see the stars with me tonight?", the haze and how we felt about being PMEBs in the future.

The band played a birthday song for me and they all sang along. I had tonnes of fun. It feels great to celebrate a birthday. I think we celebrate each other's birthdays most consistently. At least according to my blog that's true!

Last of all we had a cam-whoring session where each person took a photo of the rest. We had some hilarious results and others that were not for public eyes. So. Photos -





















Thank you all for a very special evening!

Roy's Bday at ECP

I had an awesome time BBQ-ing that day. I think I make a pretty good chef. Henceforth I volunteer to do all BBQ-ing at such BBQ parties! Quality food guaranteed! Haha!

I had a lot of fun even though it was severely overcroded at East Coast that day. Sheesh, I swear we need more land.