Thursday, August 19, 2010
Today's game against the gentlemen from the halfway house at Sengkang had proved that I'm totally unfit and lacking match fitness. Even though it was just a friendly match with no strings attached, a match that started decently for me ended up as a struggle towards the end as I struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. It was a game played at a light-hearted atmosphere between the teachers from bp and the gentlemen from the house. I hate to call them drug addicts but just for those who are unaware - it's basically a residential place for those ex-drug addicts, glue sniffers, alcoholics and delinquents (I met a young chap who's got addicted to computer games and receives injections at imh to calm his nerves today) etc.
There many halfway houses in Singapore but the one we went to was called the hiding place. It is really really far if you don't drive because it's located at Jalan Kayu. It felt weird to be heading back to bp even though my attachment ended last week but that was the meeting point. There were 3 teachers who drove and it made the journey alot faster for the 11 of us. One thing's for sure, I'm so glad I don't live around the school I teach because it would have left me with pretty much no privacy. From the platform of cck mrt station, lot1 and the hbd blocks near the school, I've students calling out my name. Not necessarily a bad thing but I can't imagine heading down to buy lunch in my tanktop and slippers anymore.
My PE CT, being a former prison officer, volunteers his time on saturdays to teach principle of accounts and commerce to the young gentlemen there and he also bring his students down to play with the uncles and young chaps too. For today, it was an opposition of a different sort -teachers. It's human nature to have a stereotype of what drug addicts are like, such as having a body full of tattoos to speaking hokkien etc. The truth is, that's what most people presume them to be. Having reached the place ( a rustic place that's really like a countryside and it's really hard to find such places anymore), you could sense that some of the teachers were apprehensive and unsure of what to say or do when being approached by them.
Trust me, if we do not put 'coloured lenses', they are pretty much the same as you and I. My ct is the ultimate joker and he started kept on saying "If you don't know me and because I speak hokkien, you'll probably think that I'm one of them". Now I fully understand why he's the only one in school who has such good rapport with the normal technical students. His motto is "Prevention is better than cure" and it can't be truer than that. Having had a career in the prison service, he's definitely qualified to say that.
Then it was off for some food at the prata place before Danny gave KY and I a lift to bt panjang where I took the lrt/mrt home. I really like the staff (both teaching and non-teaching staff) at bp and the fact that they make an effort to organize activities that encourages staff bonding. It's not always about soccer trust me, there's alot more stuff that's been done. Like I always believe in this - it's the students that make up the school. Likewise, it's the teachers that make up the school too.
Was catching the highlights of the yog just now and I've been impressed with certain aspects of it. Namely the Singapore football team which came from behind to beat Montenegro 3-2. I've been following them since the fas started planning with its youth programme. Recently they embarked on tours to England where they notably beat Spurs 3-2 too. Our opponents may be taller and possess better technical skills than us but with a team spirit that's second to none, we're a force to be reckoned with. If we can overcome Haiti in the semi finals and powerhouse Bolivia in the final, a gold medal is within our reach.
Last but not least, this hurdler from America (Gregory Coleman) who injured his hamstring while attempting to jump over one hurdle really emphasizes the spirit of the game. Instead of taking the easy route by pulling out -he continued with much pain and anguish to the finishing line. Being a sociology student, that's the most recent example I can use for my students in the future.
