<$Yada Yada$>

Happy Birthday Singapore!

This is truly one day where I completely felt patriotic, especially when we all sang the Majulah Singapura, recite the national pledge and goosebumps instantaneously stood up when the kiddos sang along to a familiar national day song. Plus the fact that I do get a holiday - two days to be exact - for this special occasion.

Many people will no doubt have many misgivings and complaints about this sunny island. Firstly, what is with the fuss of the pronunciation of 'Espla-nard' and 'Espla -nade'? Or about the white elephant LRT station Buangkok, conveniently located near the IMH? Or about the increase in GST? Or the increasing power of netizens declaring their stands and takes on matters of the nation? Or (okie, this one really gets to me) the tagline for our dear Tourism Board's promotion for the nation titled 'Uniquely Singapore'? Shouldn't it be "Uniquely SingaporEAN'? Or if you insist, 'Unique Singapore' and drop the 'ly' at the end. What happened to the 4 master teachers who evade our papers every weekend to complain about falling standards of English and the common errors we Singaporeans make daily? Shouldn't they stand up to say something about such a glaring mistake?

However, whenever I consider the relatively clean and non-potholed roads we have, the natural shelter from sunny weather planted almost every two three steps apart along the roads, the regular workers in neon vests digging or resurfacing roads which I remember to have perfectly no problems, free tissue packets given as advertisement flyers, free music from buskers awaiting you as you waltz into the train stations, free newspapers to entertain you on your almost seamless train rides, people scrambling for National Day tickets and even offering high bids for them, donating a few coins in exchange for a sticker to avoid pesky flag students...the list goes on, I thank God for this little red dot where we really have been immensely blessed.

Yes, I belong to the group of people who feel the fireworks is the best and only worthy item of the entire parade. That tearing down the National Stadium is really a sad but inevitable end - who can forget the ammonia scented walkways in the labyrinth of steps and stairs? That the older national day songs like Stand Up for Singapore, We are Singapore etc are still the best songs ever composed to stir up national pride. I wouldn't want to be in another place, though I have not seen much of the world out there but enough for me to feel at home right here.

Hmm..on second thoughts, if only we start to pay teachers more since it is the most overworked and underpaid profession around, and start appreciating and showing them respect. Now that will be really ho seh!

Lastly, something to make your day as it did for me...

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?