Tuesday, April 13, 2004

ARS

ARS stands for Ancestor Removal Service. I saw a van yesterday with that painted on its side. I half expected to see, in smaller print- Dead Man Walking. Heh.

Anyway, it's only the 4th Tuesday of the term but I'm am pooped. There's been so much to do in school, I can't remember what it was like to be able to blog in school. I know... welcome to the life of a full fledged teacher. :) Technically, I'm not one yet since I don't get a confirmation letter till goodness knows when, and then I finally get my last increment of this scale, which will probably amount to like $15.23 or something like that. But I do have a full load. One year old teachers-that's what we're called to make us sound infantile, cute and in need of nurturing, are technically supposed to get 3/4 s of a load. Unfortunately, last year's O level batch far surpassed their senior years and produced an unprecedented number of distinctions. That being the case, the college is bursting at the seems trying to accomodate them.

I just got my classroom moved again because the timetable has yet again been fiddled with. So, my class is roomless since its previous room of occupation was the Literature room and a Lit teacher has unashamedly commandeered it without even a peep to me. Bugger. The only reason why I'm not making a bigger fuss about it is that everything humanly conceivable and doable should be done to save Lit from the sorry state that it is in now.

The other strange thing, but not so much annoying as it was amusing, that happened today was a phonecall I got.

Me: Hello.
Her: May I please speak to MADAM Ng please.
Me: This is MS Ng speaking.
Her: Oh. Hi Ms Ng, I'm calling from Dunman High School (one of the top schools in Singapore).
Me: Okkkkk.....
Her: I was just wondering if you were interested in relief teaching at my school during Term 4.
Me: Excuse me?
Her: Oh, don't worry, it's the GEP classes for Sec 2 and 3. And you will teach English and Lit.
Me: Right..... Well, I would love to...
Her: Oh Ok!
Me: No... wait, I wasn't finished! I would love to, but I'm now teaching at a JC.
Her: Oh, but will you still be there in Term 4? It's still a long way more to go..
Me (thinking the exact thing... who calls for relief teachers so early?): Well, I would think so, seeing that I'm bonded for 3 years...
Her (the light dawning): Oh!!!!!!!!!! You're a full time teacher.
Me: That I am.

When are these phone calls when you're back on vacation, in dire need of money and have your parents breathing down on you to find a job? My colleagues made extremely helpful suggestions like I should go on MC and go teach there for a term. I get paid more and I have less issues to deal with...Sounds like a good deal although not exactly doable.

We're going to Hard Rock for dinner. I'm hankering for fajitas and iced tea. I'm also hankering for sleep and a pair of specs, but we can't all have our druthers.

My spectacles made a spectacular protest of being abused a few days ago. It's been years since I've changed it and even though the lens has popped out a couple of times as a warning to me, I've ignored it. So, on Good Friday, the left lens made its leap of death from about 5 and a half feet up to land on hard concrete and bounce down ten steps announcing its suicide with a defiant shatter. So for the past few days, I've had to work my contact lens overtime and hop into bed the minute I take them off seeing that the world is a wonderful blur to me otherwise.

But I have to bide my time till Friday at least. Damn those multi coated super high index glare reduction lens.

Ondine tossed this thought in at 18:02

" Far in the stillness, a cat languishes loudly"