udderiffic indulgence.

The long awaited blog post from the Saint Gabriel’s 55th Anniversary Dinner. I was thinking of putting in some personal thoughts and comments but decided against it. Instead, I’ll just leave you with a photo narrative framed within the secondary school song lyrics. The lyrics of the old school song and the Primary School version are here. See you back here on Monday, when there are more exciting posts in store.

~

In white and blue, boys full of mirth and life

From early morn, we flood the green playground

In every hall, soon starts the daily strife

Of school routine, lessons and work all round

With spirits bright, our will well gladly bracing

From teachers kind we learn what’s good and right

We thus do hope to attain with God’s blessing

Virtue and Truth, Virtue and Truth

Of life’s true beacon light

Saint Gabriel’s School dear

Here willing hearts behold

When duty’s call rings clear

Mid sorrows as through joys

For Singapore and God

For Justice to uphold

Let us live and thus prove

Saint Gabriel’s boys!

A TALE of “heart and soul” will unfold at the NUS Museum when 12 “storytellers” from the University Scholars Programe (USP) tell their story at an exhibition later in the year. They have gone on the Urban Northern India: Communities and Livelihoods study trip (22 – 29 Feb) organised by USP as part of its Global Programme — and returned with a unique experience to share — through pictures and exhibits they have brought back.

Read On…

An article on our trip to India, co-written by Sin Yee and myself.

Before you begin reading this post, you need some background information, provided in this article.

For a portion of us, our money still hasn’t come in yet; the MOE still owes us 1.5 months of wages i.e. our pay from mid-June till July. We’re supposed to be back-paid this month though, but I sincerely hope there aren’t any more “glitches” because I cannot survive on next to nothing any longer.

I’m quite upset because it’s been a really miserable time; I can’t do anything because of the financial constraints - I can’t even buy groceries that I need, let alone get a new Macbook to replace my four-year old iBook.

I’m also very irritated with the student teachers who’ve been paid - rather than just shutting up and empathising with the rest who haven’t received their pay, they’ve been saying things like “Just let it go already” and “Don’t worry, 2.5 months pay come at one shot also very shiok what!”

But it’s not okay. It sucks because I’m really broke for the first time in a very long while and I think people who don’t know what it’s like should be nicer about it.

So for the friends who aren’t in the know, Leon and I have been rather down the last few days, and it’s not only about the money. There’s other stuff that’s been going on as well, but perhaps this isn’t too appropriate a space to discuss it.

Anyway, it got quite bad last night because we were both feeling rather wretched; the air in the room was so thick with melancholy that even a laser wouldn’t have sliced through the sadness.

But something made us snap out of it though.

Leon turned around from doing his Math homework at his desk and suddenly said, “It’s time for some happy food.” I decided that if we were going to share a packet of Arnott’s Tim Tams Honeycomb Crush between us, it was fitting that we should have happy smells as well.

It was the right choice - orange and rose in a scent burner is one of the most uplifting aromas in the world. That, plus the chocolate, was enogh to make us laugh at the absurdity of a very painful moment that we were trying to make better through small gestures.

Well, happy food and happy scents don’t solve money matters, but at least they make life a bit more bearable for the moment, along with a good friend who is a good room-mate.

I still have a guitar exam on Sunday to practice for, but at least I feel a bit less disgruntled and discontented now, and more focused on at least passing the exam and getting my cert.

I can do it. I know I can. But all that’s left which I wanna know is… am I going to get my money, like, on time and in the correct amount owed to me?