I have been very busy in school recently, as can be seen from the date of my post! I leave school before 7 pm everyday, which is actually earlier compared with my average day at VJC (10.00 pm). But back at VJC, we do read the papers everyday. We do have 25 minute lunches and 1.5 hour dinners. And we do take a nap to rest as and when required. And we do have 1.5 hour exercise sessions. And we work long hours at VJC, but at a moderate intensity.

But here at Damai, I work a solid day from 7.25 am to 6.30 pm. 10 minute lunches are the norm. I try not to do any work at home as usual -- but I usually do half an hour of low-key work just not to feel guilty. I have very little time -- I would like to do more for my students but I really don't have the time. In any case, they're not good students anyway -- little discipline to do their homework or to revise their work. English marking saps up whatever free time that I have... As a combat reservist, I am supposed to exercise 3 times a week, but I simply don't have the time!

No wonder teacher recruitment is so high -- the turnover is high too. It is a job that is simply not worth the pay -- you have got to have some passion to work 55 to 59 hours a week. The average grad civil servant works 40 hours a week. Why do you think we have longer holidays? Not that long actually. On paper, teachers have 12 weeks of holiday a year, but realistically, it is just 6 to 7 weeks, or 30 to 35 days.

I sure hope my passion lasts...

Quotes from LOTR...

"Arise! Arise! Riders of Theoden! Spear shall be shaken! Shield shall be splintered! A sword day! A red day! Ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin, and the world's ending! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!"
-- Theoden King's battle cry during the battle of the Pelennor Fields

"Now is the hour. Riders of Rohan! Oaths you have taken, now fulfil them all! To lord and land!"
-- Eomer at the muster of the Rohhirim.

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day, WE FIGHT! By all that you hold dear, on this good earth, I bid you STAND! Men of the West!"
-- Aragorn, with the host at the slag hills near Cirith Gorgor before the charge on the defenders of the Black Gate

"Where is the horse and the rider?
Where is the horn that was blowing?
They have passed like rain on the mountains.
Like wind in the meadow.
The days have gone down in the west.
Behind the hills, into shadow.
How did it come to this?"
-- Theoden King, before the battle of Helm's Deep

"Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath! Now for ruin! And a red dawn!"
-- Theoden King at the battle of Helm's Deep

"A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them.
And all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."
-- Eowyn

I had my first reservist Open Mobilisation yesterday. So the afternoon was entirely wasted.

I went for watch night service yesterday night at BRMC. (No, I'm NOT from the AC family. My friend brought me there last time...) It's only my 3rd watch night service, I don't always go.

As I was leaving, I saw that the stars were visible in the night sky! It's so rare to be able to see stars in Singapore!

On New Year's Eve, the ships at the anchorages fire off their flares at the stroke of midnight of the new year. I see this every year if I'm at home.

School starts tomorrow...

I watched LOTR: Return of the King the 3rd time yesterday night! With Mr Ueng, Mr Morgan P and Jiang Bo. This movie is so grand! And full of deleted scenes too -- I read the book. So the Extended Edition DVD will be good!

And the quotes from the movies are so nice and artistic and grand!

I visited the Singapore Discovery Centre today. It's basically the SAF NE exhibition centre. I tried the motion simulator ride as well as the M-16 shooting game. I also tried fishing at the lake! Mind you, fishing is not allowed, but I was there under SANA's function, and they had a fishing booth there sponsored by a fishing tour company. Rod fishing in the lake with a big hook and chicken meat as bait. No fish in half an hour, so we gave up. The only time I successfully fished was with a line and small hook at the canal in Survival Village in Hendon Camp (Commando Camp) in 1997 during my 2nd installment.

I just came back from my reservist ICT -- 5th Dec to 19 Dec. We did the whole works -- very tiring. SAR-21, range, live firing exercise, stand-by force. The 3-day main exercise had Company in conc, hasty defence, dawn attack and MTC -- combat rations all the way. Sometimes I wonder why I meet so few people who are in real combat units -- I guess someone must do the unpalatable work of defending the nation and I happen to be one of them. So few people around me can empathise with what I go through...

Some of my friends know that my HP ring tone is the theme from Charlie's Angels. Why? (No lah, not because of the 3 Charlie's Angels from my class!) It's because I'm Charlie's Angel -- 650 SIR Charlie Company Medic Specialist.

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I have just received my new posting letter. I applied for transfer and so I'm going to Damai Secondary next year. Well, my new students will be from a younger age-group, different backgrounds compared to College. So I have to treat them the standard way like I did when I was in Bedok North last time. So boring when the students cannot interact properly with me...