Jarod Yong

taken from chipchick.com Don't you just love hamsters? They're cute, cuddly, clean & well groomed. They live in a cage that is lovingly bought & ornamented for it. They run on a treadmill with their all so adorable little legs. I am a hamster. Every time I enter my hamster cage, the only thing I do is work on the treadmill. And just like a hamster treadmill, there is no end to the work. It just goes on and on and on... and on. The faster I can run, the faster the treadmill will make me run. I cannot leave my cage. There is no way out. Hamsters need to unplug at a non-work environment. But there're just these four invisible walls. I am hamster. I am 20kgs less. I am run-out. I am thinking of some changes.

taken from santaclaracountylib.org I remember the time when I first entered collage. One night during orientation week, I was gathered into a room with the other guys in my course. We were going to be 'introduced' to our seniors. That was my my first 'ragging' experience. I was traumatised. I was deeply struck with fear. The KDPM 'seniors' came in with yelling & aggressive behaviour. Anyone who did not sit down, shut up or pay attention was threatened. That night, I learned how to 'respect' my seniors. A year later, I became a senior. One with a council position too. One night, I gathered my juniors and I taught them the 'respect' I learned. What was passed on to me. I passed on to my successors. Because I did not know any better, I repeated a grave mistake. The wrath of the seniors exists in many other contexts. It may not be the same action. For example, ragging. But it is something that one generation passes on to the

I few weeks ago, I was approached to contribute to a Professional Development lecture that a senior of my course was invited to conduct with my juniors. I was asked to contribute views that would prepare them for the teaching realities that they may be placed in next year. I put it in the form of a letter. I decided to only publish it today so that my juniors will see the information in his lecture first (which took place today). Have a read & tell me if you agree which my views. ~~~~~ Dear Cohort 3, Congratulations, Cohort 3. Congratulations on being selected for an exclusive & distinguished overseas twinning scholarship. Furthermore, congratulations on completing 2 exciting & fruitful years overseas. I am sure you will succeed just as well in your final year & make a difference during your short practicum stint. You have every reason to feel good about yourself. Now, time for the hard truth. The climax is over. The falling action has just begun. When you leave IPGM KB

For the past 2 weeks, the internet connection at school has been scarce. And when there is a connection (which has been rare), there seems to be a wall between our provider & several major American websites including yahoo, google, blogger & espn. With no landline or cellphone reception, there was no way to contact the provider to make a complaint. During that time, I was confined to hotmail & facebook. Furthermore, I was unable to blog or read other blogs. It was then that I suddenly realised how important blogs are to me. They are a form of release. Recreation. They are a source of pleasure & motivation to me. Having none of that for 2 weeks has certainly made me feel really depressed & demoralised at work! My lack of drive has caught me by surprise! (I'm not usually so low in determination.) Today, the pipeline burst open with speed & unrestricted access! I'm back in business, baby! I read all the blogs I didn't read & left comments at almost