Friday, February 12, 2010 12:11 PM

First Post of 2010

Pardon my absence.

Its been an eventful 2010 for me so far. Still trying to get used to a new working environment, new systems and working with new people. I can say that I'm getting the hang of it.

Other than that, the family met with some challenges early in the year. On the night before my first day of school, my dad collapsed at my home due to some bleeding in the brain caused by a fall he had earlier that day. I know this may come as a shock to some of you reading my blog because I've never talked about it until now. I don't really like talking about it as some of you may know that there has been some issues that the family has with him since couple of years back.

Well anyway, he was at NUH since then until last Monday when we moved him to St Luke's community hospital to undergo therapy and rehab. Mum has been great, visiting him every single day, despite all the things he did to her. Every single day, commuting from Chai Chee, alternate days staying over at my place and sometimes weekends at Bro's place. She's a superwoman and I pray that her patience and dedication as a wife pays off.

Ok change subject.

I got to mention how having a car can change one's lifestyle. Hubby, Iman and myself was at United Square last weekend and we decided to walk over to Velocity cos hubby wanted to check out the sports shops over there. While standing at the big junction that separates UE Sq and Velocity, waiting for the Green Man, it suddenly occured to me, "This is the first time I'm crossing the road after a long long time. I seriously cannot remember when I last crossed a big road like this." I drive everywhere, even to the market. It is that bad you know. Goodness. This cannot go on. I have to change my lifestyle.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:07 PM

No tweetings.

My SIL commented that my last tweet was exactly a year ago.
Honestly, I can't really get the drift. It works like a status update, that I know.
Can you girls enlighten me more?

And I'm suppose to have a comment box for my posts but why is it not there??
Arrghh.. Technology sometimes repulse me. Haha.

Oh by the way, I got my posting results!
Wef next year, I'll be at Fuchun Primary at Marsiling.
For practicum, I was at Fengshan. Then I got posted to First Toa Payoh.
And now Fuchun. I should have seen that one coming ;)
Anyway, this place is less than 10mins drive from my place. Two MRT stops away.
I was actually expecting somewhere in CCK itself or probably Bt Panjang.
But its ok. I only pray that the management's good and the staff are friendly!

9:55 PM

Incorrigible!

One word to describe you, incorrigible.
One word for you, "AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrgghhhhhh!!!!"

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 4:20 PM

Out of the dragon's lair

I'm still waiting for my posting results. This is as important as any major exam results, because this determines my fate for at least another 3 yrs at least. How are my new bosses going to be? Or will I be like, the Malay proverb "Keluar mulut naga, masuk mulut buaya"?

I have nothing against my current school actually. I love it here. This is the first school I was posted after graduation. I've got great colleagues/friends here. The staffroom atmosphere was always so vibrant and everyone got along with each other so well and we honestly have a lot of fun among ourselves.

Though we have really challenging kids here, being in an area where most of its residents come from low-income families, lack of home support, etc, I survived 4 and a half years of teaching here. Out of this, more than 3 years I spent commuting from Choa Chu Kang to Toa Payoh and back every single work day. Distance and all the challenges that comes with the job has never been a factor for me, until recently. Until we got a new P and VP who came in at the same time beginning of this year. Life for all of us changed so drastically!

Just to list some of the things why we don't like them;
- They claim to be pro-family but they're not. (They're both 'Miss' - read 'An-dar-tu'!!)
- They want to make so many changes and we don't think some are realistic for our kind of kids and for that they make us do all kinds of redundant work (but nobody said a goddamn thing cos even the HODs are not speaking up for us)
- They make it look like they involve us in decision-making but in the end they make their own decisions and only tell us about it later and expect us to follow even though sometimes its so ridiculous.
- They make the whole workplace so damn competitive that now some people are 'stepping on others' just to get ahead and to get in their good books. We don't even know who to trust anymore. Ppl get backstabbed more often now over the littlest of things.
- When they want something from us, they demand it there and then. e.g. They can mass email the staff at 12 plus at night to ask to submit remedial files or whatever books for checking first thing the next morning (don't these people sleep?) Or they can come to you and say, "Do you have (whatever documents they need)? Oh its in the staffroom? I'll wait for you here, you go and get it now."
-They think we don't have a life outside the school. They can anyhow last minute change timings of meetings without giving any explaination. Eg. Contact Time (thats when all the staff meet for disseminations and other important matters) is usually on Wednesdays 1.45pm to whatever time til all disseminations are done. There was once it was only announced at 1.15pm that Contact Time will start at 3.30pm that day for whatever reason only they knew. Start later means ends later right? And sometimes, got no modal like that, they like purposely try to create something to make us stay for that meeting longer. But I'm just glad that Contact Time is unlike Exco Meeting (thats the meeting they have with all HODs and other key personnels) Previous years, Exco meeting ends by at most 5. Now, 7 pm is the earliest, and it can even go right up to 9++, at night!! They only complain among themselves, but I don't geddit why no one ever speak up??! These people have families at home waiting. But I don't geddit why they like 'Pak Turut' only. No balls. These are the people who are supposed to speak up for us, but they don't even dare speak up for themselves. How like that? A few already intending to step down. One, we heard, even mentioned about committing suicide. It is THAT bad.

Just yesterday, the P3 and P4 teachers were scheduled to meet them after school for exam results analysis. The poor P3 teachers waited because their turn was after the P4s. They waited and waited, until about 4.45 pm it was announced that the meeting will be postponed!!! Oh how I feel for them. It is postponed to this Thursday, our designated school marking day, when all the kids are not required to come. Supposed to be for teachers to finish up all the admin work post exams, and its usually a half day or at least at most until 2pm like in the previous years. But their meeting now postponed to that day, at 3.30 pm!!!! Now you tell me, until what time are we teachers expected to stay that day?? No one knows.

Busuk-busuk P dulu, ada jugak wangi dia lah. At least she gave us time-off on 'Eat-with-your-family-day'. But this year where were we on that day? Somewhere out there on a staff outing. And our holidays usually we come back for about a week plus, and official timing usually stated as 8 to about 1. Usually we know that if we can't finish some stuffs, we'll willingly stay longer because we ARE responsible adults you know. But since these 2 people came, they made the official timing 8 to 4 for a whole week! I mean, not that we're complaining lah because we know for other jobs, that is the office hours. But its as if they don't trust us to do our work. Somemore they dictate 1 hr lunch time, and they even call up the General Office from wherever they were (when they're on course or whatever) to get the office staff to check that the teachers really go for only 1 hr lunch break at the designated timing! It didn't use to be like that! As long as we got our work done, the old P didn't care how long a lunch time we took. Now, we're treated like kids! 'Rrriiing!' thats the recess bell. 'Rriiiing!' recess over!!

And the most ridiculous thing happened last week. The staff welfare committee planned a health walk to Henderson Waves for all staff on Friday after school. We usually go on these health walks periodically and enjoyed bonding with our colleagues. Usually we'll go at about 4pm and we'll finish at most by 6. But for this particular walk, we had to start about 5+ because these 2 people were on course that day and we had to wait for them!! Absurd right? Somemore, THEY chose the route and they wanted the longer route which would normally take people about 2 hrs if they walk casually. Hello~~! At least spare a thought for the older teachers lah. No choice you know. The bus drops everyone at the starting point and will pick up at the ending point at 7++. Not as if that place has got good lighting or shelter. Everybody literally had to walk fast before it turned dark. We were all praying for rain that day. But alas, it did rain, only after we got there and walked halfway. So much for staff welfare.

I can go on and on and on about these two. But I guessed I've typed too much. To cut story short, the atmosphere at the workplace has changed so much. Many people are leaving including me. I gave distance as my reason. To me, I quote my brother's words, "Why do I travel so far everyday just to get all these crap." Even if I get crap in another school, I can at least be happy that I'm near my family. But I'm going to really really miss many of my collegues. Some I've formed such a close bond with. I foresee some tears will be shed on my last day. Mine.

Labels: work

Monday, November 9, 2009 4:32 PM

Numb.

Thursday, November 5, 2009 11:32 AM

Forgive me Allah if I have sinned.

Of all the bad things I have done in my life, this, by far, could be the worse.
But I am left with no choice.
But this is for his own good and I need to protect other people in my life.
I am just sorry we could not get a better place.
I wonder why I'm being so hard on myself when it is he who brought it upon himself?
Why am I being hard on myself when he has hurt us so much.
And I don't think others will understand what we go through, and why we're doing this.
How will they understand when they don't even bother to find out??
They're not in our shoes, so don't they dare play the blaming game.
I only have them to blame for keeping their mouths shut when they're not supposed to.
Its a snowball effect now, and we're not strong enough to stop it. Cos no one else is helping!!


Its an anti-climax entry, done on purpose.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 12:07 PM

Talking to myself

No reply.
Wonder if the sms was received.
It should have been.
But no reply.
Is it a technical glitch?
Why don't I just call?
Its not as simple as that.
But I'm pretty sure sms received.
But no reply.
Could this confirm that we can depend on no one but ourselves?
Not even family.
Yeap, just as I have guessed.
*drums fingers on table*

I look fat in the class photo.
Damn fat.
Fatter than the class photo taken 2 years ago at 8 months pregnant.
Thats bad.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 5:07 PM

The Chat

Got called in for 'a chat'.

Somehow I already know what it was about before I stepped in.

And now, she made me think twice.

But I couldn't get over the fact that suggestions over a new route and care options were given.. ?!

That much they wanted me to stay, meh?

Not about to get big headed here, but staying does have its benefits for me. I am basically getting out of my comfort zone if I do go.

As of now, the future looks uncertain for me. A lot of 'what ifs' comes to mind.

I have till next week to make up my mind.

Wait a minute, I thought my mind was ALREADY MADE UP??!

wth!!???!

Labels: work

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 5:33 PM

We got contacted!

We just finished contact time. First normal contact time since school reopened.
It feels like a supplementary class, or tutorial, cos they were feeding us with way too much information for the PD recertification. I pray I won't be chosen for the interview. :X

Yesterday I went for another kind of interview. Nerve-wrecking. But, after all that trouble, I somehow now hope I don't get it. Way too demanding, that place is for me. We'll see how another one goes next Tuesday. :

I'm not going to say I regret making this move cause it will be so much better for my family and me. But I'm going to miss so many people here!!! Jules, Shimmy, Feeqay, Didi, Ai Ai, all my KaKaKs! Haiyahh... Will I meet peeps like you girls somewhere else? :_( I wanna cry ready.....

Labels: work

Monday, July 27, 2009 1:42 PM

Iman Mentel

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