vintage is the new ART

*UPDATES*

Yup, i know i've been so neglectful of my blog. Why? coz i did wrote a handful of stuff before this blog but it got DELETED for some reason! stooofffid technology [sometimes]..

anyway, glad that i'm finally back to update my whereabouts, whatabouts, whyabouts, etc etc etc..

1. I still miss my cousin, ZeeZee.. Went to Indo to meet her coz she's from Canada. SHe can talk and jabber a lot, which I think it's super cute coz she has this Canadian accent.. She loves it when i put make up on her..haha..princess feeling, u know? HOTNESS..She took tons of pics with me coz of her adorableness! haha.. you can check them out at my photo album http://all4lene.multiply.com/photos/album/13/Cousins_Galore . [u need to be a multiply member to access. or check out my pics at http://www.friendster.com/all4lene if you're a friendster member. more pics in multiply tho.]

2. Aug 6, 2007, SCHOOL TERM STARTS! yup, back to business with all those school work. taking new modules this year which includes Grammar, Number Topics, and General Musicianship I. Obviously Grammar and General Musicianship I is the thing I don't mind. BUT NUMBER TOPICS?!?!?! ahahaha.. I know, I'm forced to take Math coz i'm in the upper primary track and can drop only 1 module, which I chose to drop SCIENCE!

But Grammar is not all Hoohaa for me too. I was probably one of the noisiest student in my class. I got tons of question regarding the rules coz most of the stuff are so contradictory to what I learned in highschool. Mind you, Grammar was my favorite subject coz it's so easy and I usually score As. HAHA.. but now, knowing how the rules changed coz of the British Grammar, I'm learning not to HATE it. Really, it sucks coz the only explanation I paraphrase from the teacher is "Why? It's like that one."

For example, "a teenage school boy" -- in American Grammar, "a, teenage, and school" is an Adjectives coz it's describing the "boy" ["a" being an article but considered adjectives!]. But in British Grammar, "a, teenage and school" is all different word class. "a" is a Determiner [can't be classified as Adjectives]. "teenage" is a NOUN [i'm like WHAT THE HECK?] "school" is also a NOUN [another WHAT THE HECK]. then "boy" is a Noun Head [triple what the heck...]

Then I clarified with the teacher that "teenage and school" is an Adjectives coz it's describing the Noun "boy". After much rambling here and there, finally we came to a conclusion that "teenage and school" can be considered Adjectives if we are talking about the FUNCTION of the word. But now I'm learning Word Class [Parts of Speech], so it's the FORM of the word.

You see, British Grammar sometimes it's not TSLN [Thinking School Learning Nation] enough. Haha.. The teacher won't explain the WHY unless you constantly probe WHY, which I've been doing nonstop, seriously. APOLOGIES extended to my classmates! Also, I need to ask which of the answer will the teacher grade CORRECT in tests. SO NOT TSLN loh... I think the Grammar system need to be changed, really. Grammar is about rules, but then still, there are principles that govern the rules. That is what I want to know when I learn Grammar!

Anyone wants to try classifying the word form for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle"? [Believe me, you'll be shocked once you know it!]

3. Singaporean education system is really interesting. There are many Pros and Cons to it. I got to comment on the PSLE, GCE Exams though. I seriously believe that education is not about GRADES! Ok ok, the MOE decided to move the education focus towards TSLN. But the exams are still there and hey, that's about GRADES! How to teach the students how to think when they are continuously pressured to get good grade on the content of the exam?! Exams are not bad, of course. We need that to just test our basic knowledge. But I believe if that's the major criteria of getting a person to the next phase of education, it's like so wrong loh!

The TRIVIUM is needed in education. We learn about content or grammar just to gain the KNOWLEDGE of it. Then once we know that, we move to the next level which is UNDERSTANDING the logic of how it works! Just knowing things isn't the big idea. We need to know the concept of why things work that way. Then, if we already know the WHYs, we need to apply what we've learn to our life decisions. This is the WISDOM or rhetoric stage of education.

I believe that Knowledge is not to be passed on. Rather, it is to be acquired.

As an individual, we must know how to obtain that knowledge instead of just waiting for someone to spoonfeed us with it. That way, we will understand why the things work they way it work. In the end, we are able to apply what we've learnt and understand to make the RIGHT decisions in life. You know what to do in life. You know where you're standing in terms of having values and conviction. That is the real education.

We as individuals should not just complain here and there about the education system happening in the world. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Since we're educated beyond the scope of just knowing what's what, we will be able to reason and make decisions in what to do with the things we know. Speaking in the point of view as a teacher, I believe we're not in schools just to pass on the knowledge [or even drilling the students with it]. We're to teach the students that they need to squeeze their brain juice in order to understand why is the world this way. Why is "teenage school" not an adjectives describing the "boy".. Continuously asking the right WHY questions RIGHTLY! Meaning, the WHY question is not to challenge the teacher's ability or decision, but to understand why is it a noun instead of an adjective.

Ok, enough of me blabbering about this. I've been doing this non-stop since last week coz I had to do an essay on The Changing Landscape of Education: Thinking Schools Learning Nation.

4. I love Life Group [LG] and going to church. Reason? Coz that's where I find encouragement and stress-relief! Seriously, I was sooooo pressured and depressed last week because of school work. However, on the Friday, I went to LG in Marina Sq and just talked to the people in the LG. Oh goodness, I felt sooo much better afterwards! Just by talking to the right kind of people and getting great advices from them really lighten my burden. The constant encouragement and the positiveness that my friends said are truly amazing. It's a blessing to have friends looking at the bright side of life but still being down to earth.

5. I went to see the King and I musical in Esplanade on Aug 15, 2007. Tix price at $110 coz we sat in the first row of the 2nd level [Cat 2]. Meaning, it's very very nice place to see things. Haha.. ENjoyed the show very much. The set is amazing, the actors are wonderful and the songs are lightening! =]

Also went to see Agamemnon by Singapore Repertory Theatre [SRT]. It's directed by Michael Corbidge, one of NIE's part time lecturer. Got free tix to watch it on Sunday, Aug 19, 2007. Went with 3 of my drama mates and boyfriend, Tere and Angel. It's quite interesting how the play was set. It's a fusion of Modern, Classical and "breaking the fourth wall". However, what made it less enjoyable is the CROWD! Omg, I can't believe they're all Sec 2 students who are soooo disrespectful and soooo VILLAGERS [kampungan AKA uncivilized!] Very unruly, I must say. They're so noisy and kept on making non-stop chattering and weird comments! They even have Ushers walking along the side stairs to keep WATCH of these crowds! They're like a security guard reprimanding people. Goodness, it's so distracting. This, therefore, affects the energy level of the actors. And yep, what was actually could have been an engaging great play became so draggy towards the end due to the UNRULY audiences!

See this? It's an example of what the school should teach in schools! Character development! Values of respecting others and put the focus of oneself away! Who cares if they're smart! Who cares if they're Straight A students! If they don't know how to conduct themselves properly, all these are overlooked! We may be smart, but if don't have right character and values in us, people will still be turned off by us!

DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO THE NEXT GENERATION!

To end on a lighter note, I shall go and prepare myself for class now. HAHA.. I'll try to keep updating =]

Labels: 2007, blog, class, drama, education, esplanade, event, friends, hard work, kids, moral, news, NIE, school, shocking, Singapore, stress, theater, update

11:21 AM