Kites

　　若在周日晚上或周末到滨海湾水坝，不难看见许多国人在放风筝。这边一名父亲正兴奋地拉着线往前跑，在缅怀童年乐趣的当儿也在向家中幼小示范放风筝的方法。那边一群青少年不断将风筝向空中猛抛，希望抛得高一些，风筝就能够更顺利起飞。最令人咋舌的是亲眼目睹家中女佣一边拉着风筝线往前抛，一边呼喊少爷／小姐的名字。不知曾几何时，女佣的工作范围也包括放风筝哄少爷／小姐开心？
　　有放风筝经验的人都知道，要风筝起飞，必须放足够的线和依赖一定的风力。若要风筝飞得高、飞得远，那就得在风筝借助风力往上升时继续放线。要是舍不得将风筝方得又高又远，那只有两种结果：一是风筝无法超越一定的高度，在地面风力减弱后就掉落；另一个就是在强劲的风力下，风筝断线，像刺秦王的荆轲一样一去不复返。不是每个在水坝草场上放风筝的都深谙这个道理，因此放风筝的姿态百出，令人啼笑皆非。

欲言又止，欲欲还休

熬过了“非人”的三个月，转眼间，新的一年又来临了。
忙到几乎疯狂、没有喘气的机会。
看到令人愤怒、火滚的情景。
眼看牛年要结束，又来一场车祸，只差天灾了。
只有感到累、气、些许无助、孤独、灰心，还有一点欣慰。
除了强颜欢笑、咬紧牙根，就是等时间的推移，还有感激好友的支持。
没有他们的陪伴、他们的耐心，相信生命应该没有那么多姿多彩。
不期盼新的一年里有什么，只把目光放在眼前这山峦后面的一片新大陆。

启示

寻伴启示:
菜油正在寻找其伴侣－－果酱。知情者请致电通知，谢谢。

蒙主宠召：
果酱已于2009年11月15日受主召回天国，留下遗孀菜油一罐。

Time

Taiji Exchange on 18th Oct 2009 (completed)
Setting holiday assignment for Sec 2 Express (completed)
Setting assignment in preparation for pandemic (completed)
Prepare Scheme of Work for 2E 2010 (completed)
Conducting Sec 3 Express lessons (completed)
Meeting parents concerning promotion to next level (completed)
Taiji Exchange on 31st Oct 2009 (completed)
Planning Chinese Orchestra year-end practice (completed)
Planning Chinese Orchestra year-end camp (completed)
Sec 2 Subject Selection Exercise (in progress)
Training Orientation Group Leaders for Sec 1 Orientation 2010 (in progress)
Attend year-end review meetings (2nd Nov to 17th Nov) (completed)
Planning for 2010
Planning and preparations for Sec 1 Registration
Planning and preparations for Sec 1 CCA Showcase and PTM
Preparing and training student speakers for Marketing Committee (completed)
Princess Elizabeth Primary School Visit (completed)
BBSS Open House (completed)
South View Primary Road Show (completed)
Prepare Chinese Orchestra Budget for 2010
Prepare Sec 1 Budget for 2010
Plan for Chinese Orchestra activities for 2010
Complete personal work review
Conduct year-end work review for 3 supervisees (completed)
Attend workshop on teaching of newspapers for Chinese Language (completed)
Customise Faculty Workplan

and maybe use whatever time left to plan what is left of my holidays.

无言

好久没有写什么了，今晚应该专注批改完所有作业，但打了几通电话给家长，结果弄得自己的情绪久久不能平静下来。

家长没有为难我。原本简单的反映学生的学习态度及成绩，后来却感受到无尽的伤、痛和无奈。面对着一届届的学生，看着本地学生语言水平的发展趋势，十足感受到自己有多渺小，有多无助，甚至无能。心里没有答案，只有泪两横。一向自认不是什么顶级教师，也不是什么伟大圣人，只要学生能够对学习华文保持热忱，心里也就感到安慰。可是在面对一重重的压力、一次次的失败，又听到家长无奈的答复，想到自己再努力，恐怕也不能扭转局势，心里无尽的悲伤只能通过泪水涌出。

也许当初心中的熊熊烈火已经缩小成为微弱的烛光，也许一向瘦弱的身躯一直企图背着一座山，但事实始终摆在眼前。挫折何其伤……

哭也好，笑也罢。明天依旧要面对生命，面对着等待发芽的幼苗。

新“神话”

　　最近电视上看到两部新的神话电视连续剧，因为无法接受，所以想趁此机会发表个人看法。刚重播完的《宝莲灯》和正在播映的《红孩儿》虽然取材自中国神话故事，但故事情节与原来的故事已经有一段距离。虽然制作单位可能是想给传统故事改头换面以适应新时代、新口味及新观众，但我觉得把原著改变得太多不仅与原著格格不入，还可能误导观众，让他们以为“新版本”的故事才是正确的。
　　我虽然对《宝莲灯》不太熟悉，但我知道猪八戒是不会留长发然后把它们编成辨子的。一个海龙王的儿子也不可能会拜猪八戒为师，学他使九齿钉耙。故事更不会有什么树精、女侠在晨香身边和他一起斗二郎神。王母娘娘更不会与二郎神向勾结，想把晨香打垮。红孩儿仅出现在《西游记》里的其中一章。孙悟空师徒四人与红孩儿交手数次，因无法灭他的三昧真火而结果劳驾观世音菩萨来解救他们，并把红孩儿收为善才童子。牛魔王的确曾与狐狸精在一起，但绝对没有什么三头龙或牛妈妈，更没有什么人类会和红孩儿深交。
　　一旦这类新型的电视连续剧深入民心，未读过原著的人们可是要把电视剧当作是原版来理解，这不但不能传承神话传说，还可能破坏故事的原本意义及艺术美感。若这真的发生，我想再多的华文老师也都不够用了……
　　就不知接下来会改编哪一本神话故事……

Transformation Apprehension

No, I'm not talking about fears of change here, but about things that have similar labels but different packaging or content.
When Transformers movie came out some time back, I was apprehensive about the very different looks the robots had compared to what I knew about them when I was still a little kid. Granted, the movie was adapted and modified to suit the current audience and some designs needed to keep up with the times, but having a different appearance from the 1980s meant that people who knew Transformers cartoons back then would not exactly identify with them now. I liked the Transformers movie, the smoothness of the transformation, but the slight changes meant that my mind would process them as what they are now, not those that I used to know.

When the sequel to Transformers came out, I was apprehensive, not knowing if I should even watch. After some consideration, I decided to watch with my colleagues and treated it as though it were a new movie which is totally unrelated to the cartoons I held so dear in the past. The sequel is more action-packed, and boost a lot more robots, many of which defy the law of physics in their body proportion. The sequel also has a lot more and better sense of humour, but deep inside, I know very well that I will never see the cartoons in reel screen anymore, because the movie version will be etched into the minds of audiences who have not known the cartoons well. The movie version is here to stay, and the cartoons will forever remain what they were. For someone who can be sentimental to familiar things, this can be a little sad, because the cartoons which my generation was crazy about would never appear in anywhere else save youtube and DVDs, remaining forever a past memory.

There are many other things which have seen changes throughout the years, comics, table-top gaming figurines, role-playing games, to adapt to the times and draw in new crowds. True, they might have been successful in drawing in the new generation, but in the process lose some of the old guards. For lack of a better analogy, think of a movie showing new young teen Japanese actors dressed in 5 suits, a lot of CGI (computer generated images), 5 totally different animals which combined into a Devastator look-alike and call it Power Rangers. Think the teens now would also feel that it is not what they would be able to identify with too.

Call me old-fashioned or stubborn, but accepting a new look or new content is totally different from identifying the new packaging with the older version. They are simply not the same anymore.

SYF Instrumental Ensemble Presentation II

Having watched the SYF Instrumental Ensemble Presentation before, I know I wouldn't want to miss this year's Ethnic Instrumental Ensemble Presentation.

1) Hougang Sec - Gamelan
Maya Sewu
Ambangan

It is a lot milder/mellow than the gamelan ensemble I heard 2 years back. Not too extraordinary, and definitely they did not achieve the mesmerising effect that the previous presentation had.

2) Raffles' Girls School - Indian Orchestra
Bo Shambo
Raagamaalika

Both songs, especially the first one, had a fast tempo and the sound of the strings always have the exotic feel to them.

3) CHIJ St Theresea's Convent - Anklung & Kulintang
Gamelanesque
Mamma Mia

The conductor & the ensemble left an impression on me as they were visibly performing with the melody in mind... meaning I can see them waving, moving, dancing to the rhythm.

4) Tanglin Sec - Guzheng
映山红
陆游与唐婉

This was quite an action-packed presentation as the female guzheng players were constantly making broad sweeps across the strings and you almost felt that there would be darts and blades flying out of the instrument, killing the audience in the recital studio.

5) Damai Sec - Guzheng
天山玫瑰
青藏高原

The 1st piece had the exotic melody of the minority tribes in western China, and was quite enjoyable. The 2nd piece felt more like 30+ guzhengs playing the same song in different octaves. It was also a rare occasion for me to see the modified guzhengs which enabled the ensemble to play both notes of higher and lower octaves.

6) Siglap Sec - Anklung & Kulintang
Keroncong Untuk Ana
Danny Boy

The conductor was not unfamiliar to me, and the music was pleasant as well. I was also able to see the bass kulintang, complete with the 3 lower notes which were built on a separate mobile rack as it was seldom used. After listening to this ensemble's presentation, I would be keen to see the conductor's gamelan ensemble as well.