Ross’ blog helped me decide what to write about today. Buses. I don’t like them. Trains, hurrah and huzzah for trains! Maybe it’s because I grew up in the ‘head, maybe it’s because we used to get the train to Belfast when we were little and it was an adventure, but there just something about them that if you have to travel with strangers in close proximity is better.
Now I am decidedly car-less, public transport is the way forward, literally. Singapore has a underground system called the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). But alas, I can’t really use it for my transportation needs as they don’t have a station where I live or where I work. So it’s the bus for me.
Buses are hard for me to work out. First of all there’s the worry that I have just missed one, then that the next one might not arrive for three days, then when one does arrive I have a panic that I might have got on the wrong one. Then when I do get on, chances are I won’t get a seat. I have to watch for my stop and I always have the fear that I'll my stop incase. Even when I do see it coming I'm scared the bus driver won’t stop.
On my first day of proper teaching I thought I got off at the right stop, but no. Then, in my naivety I thought it was the next stop so I walked. Nope not that one either. Eventually I realised that the only thing for it was to admit defeat and get back on the next lucky bus 75 that came my way. Twenty minutes later I was stepping on that bus. Stress doesn’t even cover it. I barely made it in before the announcements in assembly. An auspicious start I think you’ll agree.
But I have discovered something that makes bus rides better. This morning, to celebrate my return to the world wide web, I listened to the Chris Moyles podcast. I tried in vain to hide my undulating shoulders as I laughed (nearly out loud) at the fake local radio interviews with bad sound. I actually think Dominc Bryne is hilarious. Go here to listen to it, about 20 minutes in.
It's coming up to the big hour of eleven o’clock. Bed time for me, I have to get up early for the ruddy bus.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
All quiet on the eastern front
I had a forced absence from blogging. Due to the aforementioned restricted access in school and other things going on in the evening I was unable to use tinternet in the hotel. But I am back. And I bring you tidings of great joy.
I no longer live in a hotel. Oh no no. The planets aligned together to provide an apartment that was available immediately. I also managed to get my employment pass (critical to getting an apartment I discovered) in the nick of time. The apartment was not too much over my budget and I was the successful bidder. I moved in on Saturday and yet spent a considerable amount of time in Ikea. Saturday was my very first trip, but the novelty wore off by Sunday.
The great news for you is that my apartment has two bedrooms so if you are headed Singapore way, you may be allowed to lay your head on my spare bed. Today I got my tenancy agreement and so could get my mobile, digital TV and yes, tinternet. It was all instantaneous. None of this waiting around for the connection to be made, no no. By the time I made it home (with bagfuls of equipment) and plugged it all in, it was connected to the rest of the world again.
In the shop I had to pick all the different channels I wanted. I have the best of both worlds, with American and British channels. I ummed and ahhed a bit deciding between HBO and Sports. I plumped for the sports option. When I came home I discovered that I have all the channels. It reminds me of the episode in Friends where Chandler and Joey get free porn. Except that I get free cartoons. I imagine it is an oversight at this point and one day when I come home to watch Bear in the Big Blue House I’ll be sorely disappointed.
Anyway, it is now game on with emails, blogs and skype!
I no longer live in a hotel. Oh no no. The planets aligned together to provide an apartment that was available immediately. I also managed to get my employment pass (critical to getting an apartment I discovered) in the nick of time. The apartment was not too much over my budget and I was the successful bidder. I moved in on Saturday and yet spent a considerable amount of time in Ikea. Saturday was my very first trip, but the novelty wore off by Sunday.
The great news for you is that my apartment has two bedrooms so if you are headed Singapore way, you may be allowed to lay your head on my spare bed. Today I got my tenancy agreement and so could get my mobile, digital TV and yes, tinternet. It was all instantaneous. None of this waiting around for the connection to be made, no no. By the time I made it home (with bagfuls of equipment) and plugged it all in, it was connected to the rest of the world again.
In the shop I had to pick all the different channels I wanted. I have the best of both worlds, with American and British channels. I ummed and ahhed a bit deciding between HBO and Sports. I plumped for the sports option. When I came home I discovered that I have all the channels. It reminds me of the episode in Friends where Chandler and Joey get free porn. Except that I get free cartoons. I imagine it is an oversight at this point and one day when I come home to watch Bear in the Big Blue House I’ll be sorely disappointed.
Anyway, it is now game on with emails, blogs and skype!
Monday, January 22, 2007
TV
I have two English channels in my hotel. Channel News Asia, a 24 hours news channel, it's no BBC News 24 I can tell you. The other channel is Channel 5, a curious mix of American and Singaporean programmes. They are showing American Idol (welcome back Simon) at the minute, along with Ellen, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy amongst others. The signature music of any Singaporean programme is all the warning you need to turn off. Although last week, I watched something called 'The Arena', which should be called 'Debate Idol'. Teams from local schools debate some motion or other and a team of judges award points. Last week a Methodist Girls' School demolished the opposition on whether Singaporean teens are motivated by self-centredness alone (they rightly concentrated on the alone part of the question, just in case you are interested).
Although there is no British television programme per se, I have got my own little bit of home right there on the screen. There are evidently less ads here than in the US, so rather than start the next programme before the hour mark, they fill the five or ten minutes with that NI based 'Just for Laughs' show. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it, right there in front of me in a hotel room is Singapore was Botanic Avenue, the Centra where you get nice sandwiches and an old woman dropping a present which is then magnetised to the ground. Ho ho ho. Strangely, I have actually laughed more at it now than I ever did at home. It must be heat. But still the best reason to watch is for people you know. I swear I saw a girl I used to go to school with.
Although there is no British television programme per se, I have got my own little bit of home right there on the screen. There are evidently less ads here than in the US, so rather than start the next programme before the hour mark, they fill the five or ten minutes with that NI based 'Just for Laughs' show. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time I saw it, right there in front of me in a hotel room is Singapore was Botanic Avenue, the Centra where you get nice sandwiches and an old woman dropping a present which is then magnetised to the ground. Ho ho ho. Strangely, I have actually laughed more at it now than I ever did at home. It must be heat. But still the best reason to watch is for people you know. I swear I saw a girl I used to go to school with.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Eager Beaver Parents
This was my third weekend here and my second one where it required me to go to some school function or other. Somebody thought it would be a good idea for a First Year Parents' Briefing to happen on a Saturday afternoon. I'd like to meet that person.
As I am a first year form teacher, I had to be there so there was lots of hand shaking and smiling. Parents here seem like a different kettle of fish to those at home. We take a much more relaxed view to the whole thing. Not here though. Parents wanted me to assess after a handful of lessons how their child was doing, was going to do and how they were responding to secondary school life.
It was round robin affair where the parents were grouped into their child's form class. I was in the humanities department, with the Geography teacher. Despite not really knowing what I was supposed to present on (come to think about it, nobody told me I would be presenting anything) I bluffed my way through a little speech and obviously gave them enough information not to ask me too many more questions. We saw four groups and more or less said the same things four times. I think the Geography teacher felt as stupid as I did, repeating ourselves with the other hearing it each time. When was starting the fourth class, he turned to me and said ‘this is the fourth time of saying this!’ Little did we know the trouble that would bring in the question and answer part of the presentation:
‘You said that this was your fourth time doing this talk. How do you deal with that in the classroom when you have to repeat lessons. Do you get fatigued teaching the same thing?’
Other questions we got asked included:
‘Which chapters in the textbook are you going to cover?’
and
‘Can you give us dates now of when all the end of topic tests are going to be?’
Like I said, a different kettle of fish out here. But I am slightly scared about the results my students get, because judging from these parents it'll be 100% my fault and 0% theirs.
So I must go and prepare my Ancient China intro class for tomorrow. And who says History is dull?!
As I am a first year form teacher, I had to be there so there was lots of hand shaking and smiling. Parents here seem like a different kettle of fish to those at home. We take a much more relaxed view to the whole thing. Not here though. Parents wanted me to assess after a handful of lessons how their child was doing, was going to do and how they were responding to secondary school life.
It was round robin affair where the parents were grouped into their child's form class. I was in the humanities department, with the Geography teacher. Despite not really knowing what I was supposed to present on (come to think about it, nobody told me I would be presenting anything) I bluffed my way through a little speech and obviously gave them enough information not to ask me too many more questions. We saw four groups and more or less said the same things four times. I think the Geography teacher felt as stupid as I did, repeating ourselves with the other hearing it each time. When was starting the fourth class, he turned to me and said ‘this is the fourth time of saying this!’ Little did we know the trouble that would bring in the question and answer part of the presentation:
‘You said that this was your fourth time doing this talk. How do you deal with that in the classroom when you have to repeat lessons. Do you get fatigued teaching the same thing?’
Other questions we got asked included:
‘Which chapters in the textbook are you going to cover?’
and
‘Can you give us dates now of when all the end of topic tests are going to be?’
Like I said, a different kettle of fish out here. But I am slightly scared about the results my students get, because judging from these parents it'll be 100% my fault and 0% theirs.
So I must go and prepare my Ancient China intro class for tomorrow. And who says History is dull?!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Technology is in the eye of the beholder
When I came to Singapore I was expecting a world of high technology, one where imagination knew no bounds. A world where TVs would know instantly what I wanted to watch by scanning my fingerprint as I pressed the remote, or one where toilets would know how much water had been displaced and instantly flush with the required strength.
I did not expect ooohs and ahhhs (not unlike those heard at a firework displays) and actual, genuine applause over refillable whiteboard pens as was heard in our staff meeting on Monday morning.
Having said that however, I was on this escalator the other day and I thought it was pretty cool.
It went in a circle! Now that's more like it!
I did not expect ooohs and ahhhs (not unlike those heard at a firework displays) and actual, genuine applause over refillable whiteboard pens as was heard in our staff meeting on Monday morning.
Having said that however, I was on this escalator the other day and I thought it was pretty cool.
It went in a circle! Now that's more like it!
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