NATIONAL DAY RALLY SPEECH, 22nd August 2004

we may be SMALL
but we have HIGH hopes and Dreams.
As l - o - n - g as we are a
little red dot
in the middle of south east asia,
let People know that
we Are
, a P who will
keep on tryi tryin tryin
and never say
DIE.
And with this spirit
the future is ours to make.

WHY I WILL TEACH

Literature...

... because more directly than most, it fosters general ideas and theories about human nature and conduct, definite moral attitudes, and habitual responses to people and situations. Instead of being pre-occupied by the aims of the field, I shall - and I say this with the full force of idealism behind me - be conscious of my dealing, in the liveliest terms, with subjects and problems usually thought of as the province of the sociologist, psychologist, philosopher, historian, life coach and most importantly, christian life.

A TON OF THINGS

A ton of things have been happening and are happening. Had a great weekend - I think - although it went by so fast I am still catching my breath. Four deadlines this week and a performance of Forbidden City at the Esplanade tomorrow so I try to find whatever opportunities of time to hack some lines out on my iBook. Thank God for iBook.

We looked at the academic calender, we've been on campus for 9 weeks.... and we're maybe only half way through the semester. I'm dying for a week's break from any obligation of any kind. I can't wait for Christmas to finally come around.

I finally met a potential small group to meet for biblestudy and fellowship last friday - lets see. Also moved forward to serve in the childrens' ministry at church. There was something else I signed up for but it had to be postponed cause I might be starting too many things at a go. Maybe. Would've liked to just get the ball rolling though.

Alrighty, time for another meeting...

START MY WEEK WITH TENNIS

Last week was such a washout. I started the week wrong somehow on monday and I never got to getting up on the right side of bed the rest of the week. Tuesday felt like a thursday; just hanging in there for the weekend to come along. Oh what a long wait it was! Funnily enough it wasn't cause there was an assignment. But I don't really know why.

Maybe it was the six-week brickwall. All the same, I concluded that in order to maintain my sanity, my EIGHT modules this semester were not going to be my end all.

This week, is a better start. Must remember to play tennis on mondays :-)

THE DEVELOPMENT INDEX

After I submitted my opinion paper on Teaching is not the same as Testing (yes, you'd be surprise how many teachers get this wrong!) where I proposed measuring student progress through a development index similar to stockmarket indices, so that the focus is on improvement regardless of level or score. I read at the end of my Oral Communication package, Luke Prodromou's paper on The Backwash Effect.

Nice, Chilibuddy. Nice.

WHAT WAS GOD GIVING OUT THE DAY...

... I was born?

Being completely honest, yesterday I was wondering "if I would ever..." get to do the things I wanted to do. I wondered about when, I wondered about why not and mostly how.

This evening, I went to visit someone at the hospital. On his dying bed. He is only in his early 50's and he's got a few more days. I don't know why, I then wondered how old I think I could live to. And I can't for the life of me even make a guess. I wonder if that suggests somewhere unconsciously I think I'm immortal or something.

But, he's waiting to die anytime, and he knows it. What amazes me is how brave he is in the face of death because he's "ready to go and looking forward to eternity". Wow. Death could come anytime for anyone. Steve Irwin bid his time goodbye yesterday. And we somehow think we're invincible.

So, why do I get to be so blessed? What makes me any different from anyone else that I get my great life? With all the great opportunities? Is it because I'm not ready to meet him, I gotta get some more practice on holiness? Is it because I've still got some use on earth? Something I've left undone? Whatever it may be, even with nothing else from here onward, I still have a lot. What a difference a day makes.

When God was giving out heads,
I thought he said "beds".
So, I asked for a soft one.

When God was giving out noses,
I thought he said "roses".
So, I asked for a red one.

When God was giving out looks,
I thought he said "books".
So, I didn't want some.

When God was giving out brains,
I thought he said "trains".
So, I missed mine.

So, when God gave his only son,
I made sure I got exactly what he was giving out. :-)