Goodbye For Now

The past week has been a difficult one for me, as it always is at this time of the year. It used to be much harder but eversince I started teaching Forms 4 and 5 a few years ago, it meant that it didn't have to be 'goodbye forever' after Form 3. Saying 'goodbye' to the graduating classes at the end of this month, however, will be forever, and very hard indeed.

I walked into my Form 5 class today with a cloud hovering over me. I had already said my momentary 'goodbyes' to two Form 3 classes and I had to face another later at night. Nevertheless, I tried to be my usual upbeat self. Being a teacher, it's important that I maintain my professionalism no matter rain or shine. For me, being such an emotional person, it's always a very difficult thing to do - but I do it nevertheless.

So, to see faces half asleep (or perhaps half-awake), quiet, unresponsive and worst of all, not showing any sort of enthusiasm for my class, it kills me. Really, it does. And to think, this is going to be our last month together. I try to understand what they might be going through - exams, family problems, relationship problems, friendship problems, lack of sleep, sick... I don't know; but I try to make excuses for their behaviour. I try to forgive them. I try to not get angry or worse than that, disappointed. Afterall, I try my best to come up with new creative ideas to make learning interesting and fun, such as today's 'Court in Session' for literature. I really hope this is just a one-off. If this is how it's going to be for our last month together, then, it would make no difference to kill me now.

Are my lessons becoming boring? Are they losing trust in my unconventional learning methods? I really don't know...


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Now that I've got that out of my heart, I want to dedicate this space to my bubbly, wonderful and crazy Form 3 bunch. You guys continue to make me feel younger than I really should. As if hanging out with 17-year-olds isn't making me young enough, you guys continue to turn back the clock on my youth. Ahh... I'm so going to miss you guys! Until next year and all the best for your PMR! You can do it! I believe in you...


The first 'goodbye' - Alam Gemilang Form 3 Class of 2009

The second 'goodbye' - Mega Yakin Form 3 Class of 2009

The third 'goodbye' - Seri Wawasan Form 3 Class of 2009

I Don't Want To Be UP

I went to see UP today. It was upon my sister's recommendation and I honestly wouldn't have gone to see it if she didn't speak so highly of it. I'd seen the trailer numerous times before and thought to myself, 'Okay, I guess I'll skip this one'. But as the famous saying goes, 'Never judge a book by its cover'. I guess in this context it would be, 'Never judge a movie by its trailer'.


Movie trailers are often misleading. Usually, it's the other way around, where the trailer makes the movie seem so thrilling but when you actually watch the movie, you wish you'd stayed at home watching lizards crawl.


----------------- The voice (Ed Asner) and the character ------------------

This time however, it was totally unexpected. I think it's great that the trailer gives nothing away. I went into the cinema not knowing what to expect and came away simply awed by it. I can smother the producers with praise for the superb artwork and the clever use of colours to match the mood in the scenes. I could also tip my hat off to the excellent characterization but that would be missing the point; for the best part of UP is its story.

--------------- The character and the voice (Jordan Nagai) --------------

UP is essentially a story of life - the life of a man and a woman, who were both once a boy and a girl. I love how they made the characters speak less as they turned the pages of them growing old together. It's exactly what I believe true love should be. We don't need words to tell the other person how we feel or know how the other one feels; we just need to look at each other and let the silence speak the words we feel. Sometimes, the silence sings more beautifully than words can ever say. I knew a love like that once...

Throughout the entire hour and a half, my eyes were fixed upon each scene that unfolded before me. I laughed, I cried. The more I watched, the more I wanted to be like Carl Fredricksen. I wanted to meet a girl like he did. I wanted to fall in love so innocently as he did. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the one I love, just as he did. Even if I ended up alone in the end, it would all be worth it.

I love the wonderful lesson in UP. It's one that we should all learn. No matter how old we are, we can all learn to be a kid again. It's something I'm doing right now and it's something I hope I'll still be doing for all the years I'm alive.


The movie really made me think of my own life. The only thing is that I'm not as lucky as Carl Fredricksen. He found Ellie as a young boy; I've been looking for true love for as long as I can remember. It's been so long that it's gotten to a point where I've stopped looking. Now, I'm just waiting... waiting for it to come my way. And I'll keep waiting, for as long as it takes.

A lot of people feel I have high expectations for love but actually, what I want is really simple. For all the fun that I might have if I were to float my house UP in the sky, I don't want to be UP. I just want to be on the ground... lying quietly with the love of my lifetime.

"The real adventure of life is the relationship we have with other people, and it's easy to lose sight of the things we have and the people that are around us until they're gone." - Pete Docter