Had a damn good day man... Why?? cause CYF manageed to get upclose with the Arch Bishop of Singapore, and he was telling us all about well, catholics and catholism and about how it was like being the Arch Bishop... Nt easy man, meetings day in and day out... in the words of his grace, "in meetings until i got meeting-jitis" haha he's a really friendly person actually, very pleasant and can see that he indeed does enjoy and love what he's doing and yeah, meeting him today really inspired me in some profound way.

After that sent Jobeth back home, Yeap, and i just got home... Got my new line today, a starhub line. uhuh... want my new number, sms me using the old number, or email me, then i'll pass it to you.

Whilst sending jobeth home, we were just talking about school and stuff in general and what we talked most about was the state of singapore's society on school results and students in general. She shares alot of the same feelings that i felt when i was in Secondary school. Well, the following is just stuff that i feel about it.

What's the society like here in Singapore? well, results are the only things that matter, it determins how far u can get in life and how successful you will be. I'm not disputing the fact that results are important and it does help, but Fundamentally i think that schools shouldn't focus so much on results that they lose sight of the fact that students are human beings, and that because we are human, they should be focusing more on the building of the person, to be a better and more complete person, instead of a smart one with no life skills what so ever. No doubt that schools are teaching stuff like home economics, but it isn't enough, when you don't help the person become a better person. Motivation to do well, doesn't only come from yourself, but also from the people around you and the people that teach you.

The duty of teachers isn't to just teach what they are supposed to be teaching, but to also be a friend to the students, to be the one to encourage when students are feeling down, to help motivate the students when they need help and also to help and provide guidance to students when they are in times of crisis or confusion. Teachers aren't just teachers. they have to be Pastoral workers, to reach out to the students. I've had many a teacher and principal that focus so much on results and pushing the schools ranking up that the real fundamental of teaching is lost. You aren't only just imparting knowledge to the students, you are in fact building what the student is going to be like in the future. The moment you lose sight of what it means to be a teacher you have failed. You're supposed to whilst imparting the knowledge, to also inculcate life skills and promote relationships, also by helping the student become a better person. Sad to say i've had teachers and principals that hardly encourage their students. When you fail a test, they don't encourage you, instead they tell you that you are a failure, that you are good for nothing. How dare they call themselves teachers! When they don't teach, they dictate and force things into you. when it has to move in at its own pace. not force fed.

In my time in Cat high, i've had wondeerful teachers that remain in my heart and mind till this day, from primary to secondary. And i've had the wrost of the worst. My last year at cat high was one of trying to push the schools ranking up, and the principal was so engrossed with that task that she forgot to look after the students. There were many times that i just wanted to give up and not go to school all together, yet, i still did. I wasn't the only one that shared that feeling. When in fact that cat high wasn't the only one which is so engrossed in getting good results, Sad to say almost all the schools as well as MOE are too engrossed in the fact that results are more important than the person, that what's printed on that piece of paper is more important than the development of the person that is getting it.

Society in fact has forgotten the people aspect. Paper chase as what people call it has become so important. but in these times of turmoil, the piece of paper has become useless. What's the point in hiring a person that's very qualified but has absolutely ZERO people skills and has a lousy attitude??? Personally i'd rather hire a person that has less attitude, even though he isn't as qualified. i'd rather hire the person that's willing to learn and is humble. i'd rather hire the person that's friendly. The world wasn't built on what's being taught in school, No, its bult by people who are willing to learn, by people who strive to become better people. When in fact being human means having ambition, it means to strive to be more than what we are meant to become.

To be great is to strive to be more than what we are, to strive to be more than human, in fact to strive to become more like GOD who is more than anything comprehensible.
Society's foundations were built by the very same kind of people believing in the same thing. I agree that being intelligent does help, that having the knowledge being taugh in schools does help. but that's all it is, a tool for the person to use. a school is a place where the person is moulded and formed. And THAT is what they should be concentrating on and not on what kind of academic results you get.

I'm aappealing to anyone and everyone who reads this blog to think about what i've written and if you want to, spread the word about the meaning and ideals in this blog. Change the world, make it a better place, for you and for me, and for all the students in the world for they are our future. And we should not be crushing their dreams by adding so much stress and pressure, but try to help them dream and achieve their dreams!

Well i've saaid my peace.. i might actually copy and paste that then send it into the straights times... hmmm.....
well, good night.

Had a really crappy day man....woke up in the morning to go to school at 8, only to go to my classroom and realize that it was empty, so i had to Rot in school all the way till 11 when i met Eileen and Iris for lunch... Yeaah.. Then played Badminton, that was fun lah, came home, went for a really horrible choir practice......
Then walked home, was talking to Samantha on the way back home, yah, really love her company... was on the phone pretty much complaining about the day and everything that happened.

Am online with Judette now. basically its like really hard to catch her online one.. anyway, talking to her now for a bit. Who's Judette? She's Samantha's Best Friend, according to Judette. well, she's quite cute and a little blur. haha.. yeah she's in Peter Low's Choir! Very Good Choir! I bet she can sing pretty well.... i think she's an Alto.... I'm probably wrong though... Anyway, yeah talking to her online now, cahtting about nothing at all. haha..

I managed to download the font for Elvish and Dwarven. haha Damn cool!!!!! now i know how to write elvish, just have to learn how to speak it... I'm not that die hard lah, just thought it would be cool. Looking forward to Friday man, Visiting His Grace, the Archbishop of Singapore, Rev. Fr. Nicolas Chia. He;s gonna chat with CYF and well meet us lah, sorta like a dialouge session. hope fully it'll go wwell, and also i hope judette will be able to bring us on a tour of Cathedral. haha... yeah! explore the church! all its hidden nooks and crannies, haha....

I actually wanted to write a peom here today, but i sorta lost my inspiration. too tired i guess... Anyway, my arm is aching now cause of badminton, so i'm gonna stop here and yeah write some other time.

I hope Jobeth is alright.. heard she fell sick...... pray for her tonight.

night guys.

Heh.. i'm talking to Sam now. She just wanted company cause she's falling asleep. haha yeah..
Now, actually she's like about to go to bed, so u can hear the energy draining out of her voice. haha. yeah very cute. haha just talking about stuff that's going on in our lives and just some stories abt things. haha.. i love talking to her, or just hanging out with her. haahaa, yeah as i said in my last blog, very pleasant company.

I'm wondering what's people's first impression of me? hmm... haha. yeah.

First impressions, they really do matter. and it only changes when u really get to know the person. Like this guy Richard, he's in my school choir and when he first steped into the choir room, his nose was stuck up in the air and when he looked at the girls, he was checking every single one of them out from head to toe. So basically his first impression was that he was a flirt and a proud one at that, so i pretty much took a disliking to him, also casue of the friend he came in with, that isn't around choir anymore cause he just dissappeared. he dissappeared just b4 a performance somemore. so i was quite pissed at him lah, and yeah... Till now, in my section i'm not really the one that teaches richard, casue i tend to be rather fierce to him, so i let the presiddent do it, cause he's also a tenor.

Anyway, he's not really so bad after i got to know him for a while, but the thing is i still don't like him, and yeah, i know of people not liking me cause of the first impression that i give people, as unintentional as it is lah, i usually try my best to give people a good first impression of me. And the only way i've figured out how to do that, is to just be yourself...

Gosh, i'm like so broke, haha, i think i spent too much on mech warrior..... this is bad, i have to learn how to save and get control of my spending. i'm an impulsive spender..... Haha..... oh well.....

Nothing much happened to day lah, basically i just managed to confirm my time table and i got to use a unix system for the first time.... quite interesting. then after that went for like another few classes... Am doing marketing for my Complimentary module, quite interesting..
I'm more of a business person than an engineer, i'm just stuck here. sigh... Why didn't i get the cash to transfer to Mass Com?? WHY??!!!!!! hahahahhaha
too late also.. gonna go army soon liao, so go in then maybe come out go do Mass Com lah, or maybe i'll just start my company.. hmm... see how lah, hopefully my parents will be willing to help me run it.. haha.. the at least i'll get some financial backing. haha.. oh well...

That's enough of my dreaming, so yeah i'm gonna stop here...

First impressions count, make them good

Today, well, was quit pissed off at Jeremy and Greg, cause was supposed to meet, Jeremy, Greg, Bernard, Ethelbert, Jobeth and Samantha at Haagan dazs at Taka, but then they went to the Marriot one, so Sean and i were waiting at the one at Taka, cause i thought that they were asking abt the one at meridian hotel, mot the marriot hotel one.. so blur lah, Anyway, then i SMSed Sam, asking where they were, so they never gave me an answer that directed me to them so after waiting around for a while, i finially called them, asking where they were, until they finally told me, by then i was quit pissed alreeady cause at least give me a ring to tell me you are there instead of making me wait thinking that u were gonna come down right??? Well, why i arranged to meet them at Haagen Dazs, cause i felt like having Ice Cream, so did Sam, so i arranged to meet them there lah.. So went down there to look for them, by then for people who know me, when i'm pissed i keep a straight face and become really really quiet... so when we got there, no space, so we got 2 chairs for Sean and i and sat down lah, first 5 mins was like really quiet cause they knew i was quite pissed lah. I actually scared Jobeth and Sam. Anyway, i sat there quietly, totally lost my craving for Ice Cream, so sat there quietly lah. Trying not to say anything, cause was quite close to shooting the whole group lah, so i was looking aorund at all of them, then stopped at Sam, she had this really apologetic and guilty look in her eyes and well, who could stay mad at Sam? Then it happened, she dipped her long spoon and fed me a little bit of her ice cream lah. For me, it was like the Hand of God working, telling me not to be angry, they were just playing, no doubt it was extremely childish. So yeah i took it and after that the anger and irritation just left, filtered away from that small little gesture.

After that everything went well and fine yeap, the rest of the day was good. Maybe it cause i spent the rest of the day with Sam, Jobeth and the rest. Yeah, as u can see though i've only known them like few months, they've had a big impact on me already. Sam has sort of a calming effect on me, its like around her i can just drop my guards and be myself with her and yeha, she calms me when i'm like frustrated or stressed, been talking to her lah, anyway, even a small sms from her makes the night interesting, its just her lah, That's one reason why i like hanging around her and why i like her so much. Jobeth, she's just understanding and someone i can talk to and relate things to, though she's like 4-5 years younger than me, the both of them are actually. Yeah, went over to her place just now and just sat in her living room talking to her and her brother. talking abt ghost stories and our travels around the world. yeap. had a lot of fun actually. Yeap, that's Jobeth also a very sweet girl.

Was reading Sherwin's and Lester's Journal and there's this one part where he said "I began to realise how, over the past year, I've truly drifted from him. Amidst all the work I've been doing for him, I've not taken the time to talk, and listen to him.. in fact, now would be a good time.." And when i read it, it struck a chord, and i looked back on today and the rest of my life that i've lived and i realized that God has been playing a more active role in my life than i imagined. and its always been through what my friends have said or done, Take for example, today, when Sam fed me the Ice - Cream.

She messaged me just now, apologizing for what happened today, and i was telling her that i was alright, not her fault anyway. Then she said that she was really glad that i took the ice cream, cause it told her that i was alright and it made her quite happy, yeah. Amazing how so small a gesture can mean so much yeah? Sometimes, the smallest things can trigger the most amazing responses, or reactions. I remember my friend Adeline didn't talk to me for a month or so cause of something i said or did, which i really couldn't remember. on the other hand, i once got into a fight with elena and yeah she got angry at me cause of something small, and i spent the entire of next day with her, skipped school and everything to try to make it up to her by spending time with her and tlaking to her lah, then at the end of the day she pecked me on the cheek when i thought she was still angry at me and yeah it made my night and i guess hers too. Amazing isn't it?

Such can be said for God's actions, that he works in small ways to make u see things and realize things. u know in relationships, its the small things that really really matter, not the big things.

I'll leave you now with a one of my favorite quotes from Blessed Mother Theresa

"We can do no great things, only little things with great love"