23/7/2006 - Pragmatism

day started with immense lethargy and heat. not to mention the sore throat that made me a ''mute'' the whole day. and there goes the plans for the day, out of the window like the sunrays streaming down my feverish body.yeah, as i knew it would be after the overheated friday pe lesson, little i knew how speechless the day could be. spoke less than 10 words today i think, hopefully things clear my dawn. yeah, and i missed the concert as well, not that it was high on my priority list anyway, there was more pending things to take care of. heard it was good anyways ah well.. for now, my quest to stablize my fragility has led me to well yet another disappointment. 1 day less than 2 weeks from counting, ive yet to start on something so mandatory such as a stupid EOM essay.

Granted, Project Work is really in my eyes a waste of time. if i was to rant at MOE now, what springs to my mind is Chinese and Project Work. ok lets start with the Project Work. its meant to stimulate creativity and innovativeness in pre-tertiary students. Firstly, do we generate creativity and innovativeness by set questions, rules and regulations? creativy and innovativeness cannot be forced on a 1 year period, it has to come spontaneously just like when a poet has a trend of thoughts all of a sudden. yes, and next, you make people generate ideas for a PI so artificially, so summarized from its full form, then ask people to brainstorm a totally different topic in the group discussions and future assignments. Logical? worse still, it is pretty worrying to find that there are double standards in the subject as across the different schools the same work may get different grades. this makes it even more pointless and redundant, granted this subject is so difficult to teach and evaluate, HOW CAN YOU PUT A MARK TO CREATIVENESS?? its absurd, why was it even considered?

Now for the Mother Tongue. You exempt those good in chinese in the o levels, and leave those who are dying and not willing to learn to struggle for one more year, often 2 years for that matter. Yes, true im a advocate for the latter, but there are some students who lets say have gone to RJC, took higher chinese in the Os and want to continue chinese but cant as the teachers are insufficient as the need to learn chinese there does not cater to the masses? problem? those who are good and want to learn cant...and those who are struggling and cant stand it are forced to. of course, there are exceptions to these statements. but the logic should be free will not merit or dismerit for this matter choosing what you want to learn...

Cant really call this a rant but that will do for now. coming back to the EOM essay. i got one word, Pragmatism. I dont care all the nitty gritty avenues and formulas bugging my mind in this instant. Just one word : Pragmatism. no matter how your state is, pragmatism will come in handy, as rationale rules in all circumstances except maybe letting your hair down a little. we are far from being able to afford the leisure now, its time to simply be pragmatic fullstop. Yes, hopefully things will turn out well of course, and of course keeping in mind to step out of the singapore shell as mentioned in the previous entry. Things must be looked at a brighter side from now on. the cup is half full etc. well, hope it does some good, thats all for now, the jury is still out on that.

Last Words:1) Ruud Van Nistelrooy is always welcomed at Old Trafford, Just watch his age.

                   2) Happy Birthday XiaoTing =)

                   3) No 2 ways about it i must do the EOM by tommorow

                   4) Man United cannot lose to the Kaiser Chiefs

                   5) Ways of life and survival must be learnt

                   6) Au Revoir and good night. i sense deja vu but i cant let it. Peace Out, the chalice must be filled...Potest Qui Vult!!