Humans live and die by memories and words ~

電臺1003八嵗了。

不知不覺意在這家電台服務了兩年多。閒中除了學了很多關於音樂和廣播的知識外，也學會了很多人生的道理。 其實老師說，我並不是做DJ的料。我還記得剛剛加入的時候，老大曾經對我說過這句話：“你是屬於那種準備型的廣播員。如果要你在沒有準備節目的情況低下，你肯定不行”。那時候，聼了之後，我沒覺得怎樣。能夠進入電臺，高興還來不及，誰管我是那種DJ啊？

不過，“打劫星期天” 開播的那段日子，的確是給很多聽衆嗎得狗血淋頭。因爲那個時候講話不順，也不知道該從什麽地方找資料，連節目預告也做得很爛。被聽衆罵，是應該的。 可我這個人偏偏就是不服輸的那中。因此，節目的前一天，我都會回到公司準備節目内容。放假的時候更是做好幾天的準備。聽衆不喜歡、繼續罵，沒關係。再找更好的資料便是。很多時候在交班之後，我都會留下來自己慢慢摸索Adobe Audtion 2，研究節目預告該怎麽做才會得到最好的效果。老大也曾下令，叫我先把節目預錄，之後在星期天早班人在現場把錄好的片段播出去。

那個時候，真得很苦。

不過，就因爲如此，我實現了少年時期所許下的心願。那段苦的日子提升了我對事物的忍耐力；人際關係的處理方式也提升了許多。這些所學到的東西，將來在職場上必定有很大的用處。如此看來，我在過去的四年除了是在大專學府念社會學、增加自己知識外，1003想是第二閒大學，教的是EQ和人生觀。

謝謝過去兩年多幫助我成長的人：老大、梅姐、Ken、小豬、堅文和Margaret. 因爲你們的指點，才有今天（我覺得啦）還算不錯的順傑 =P

沒有辦法出席今年的慶生派對，是有遺憾的。必竟我又不是全職，能夠見到聽衆的機會少之又少。不過也沒關係啦。我只希望節目做得順利就好，因爲節目對我來說還是排在第一位。如果明年還在的話（誰會知道明年會怎樣？），還是會有機會合大家一起慶生的。

那些常聼我節目的聽衆，謝謝你的支持。那些討厭我的人，你們也應該不會看到這篇文章，所以也沒所謂。哈哈。 1003,生日快樂。=）

I believe many of you guys are like me, giving tuitions to kids to up our spending capacities as ‘soon-to-be-working-adults’. In fact, many of us already live like one by giving don’t know how many tuitions every week. I personally give tuition 6 times every week.

Wow ! 6 times’ a lot ! Yeaz, but that’s in the context that my Secondary 4 kid will graduate after his O Levels in mid November, my Sec 2 girl will take a 2 months’ break starting mid October, leaving me with only 1 kid for the month of December. Therefore, better earn more for reserves =D

But how is your relationship with your kid? Does he/she listen to whatever you tell them to do? Or do they fight back and pretend to be smarter than you?

One of my students (not the ones above) just sent me an ‘insulting’ SMS just now:

“Tmr no tuition right cause last time you message my mum you say following week right? ok.see you next week”

Nothing offensive here. Merely a kid assuming that there’s no tuition tommorrow, which is false :

“Huh? No. Your mom told me last sunday that you had medical appointment the next day, which was this monday 14th sept. So of course i told her tuition the following monday, which is tommorrow 21st Sept. So tommorrow still have tuition”

That was my reply. To which he gave the disrespectful sms:

“You should say coming you say following. following is 2 weeks later”

Uh huh. What’s wrong with using the following week when my reply to the mother LAST sunday? Last Sunday belonged to last week. This week is this week. Next week is then TWO weeks from last week, isn’t it?

I checked with my collegue from Radio 913 and she said I used it the correct way. So obviously that kid was wrong. And yet he dared ‘correct’ my English, when I am the one tutoring him English and Science.

Perhaps some context should be given so that you can understand the situation better. This kid totally has no interest in studying. Delayed and unfinished homework every time. Listlessness best describes him. I actually hate this type of student (not him as a person) and told his mom that I will try and continue tutoring him, in attempt to arouse his interest in the subjects. But if he doesn’t buck up, off I go.

Yes, I fire students unworthy of my time. There are so many kids out there with a much higher level of enthusiasm for learning.  

Unfortunately, 4 months on, he simply refused to follow instructions. And mind you, his mother asked me to play games (online and board) so that he won’t get bored in the mere 2 hours we have each week.

Wow.

I think I tried my best. For (whatever amount of money you charge per kid every month), parents expect us tutors to be moral transformers, transforming an ill-performing kid into a bright flame in life. 

No chance.

I always believe that the tutor’s job is to give his best in tutoring the kid on the curriculum in school and nothing else. The tutor’s effort amounts to 50% of the total effort needed for the kid to improve. The other 50% comes from the kid. And whether the kid gives that full 50% depends a lot on his/her school’s education and as well as the kind of socialization he gets at home.

Many parents fire tutors when their kids’ failed to perform in exams. Well I think they should examine their roles as parents and perhaps also blame the schools for providing substandard education? This kid’s school for one doesn’t issue textbooks for Science. He receives notes with no pictures instead. How to learn what the heart and small intestine looks like when you aren’t given pictures?

I am really on the verge of firing this student. Term paper deadlines are coming up and I rather earn lesser than sacrificing the quality of my papers for someone who can’t even be bothered.

It’s really like a love affair then. If the person can’t be bothered, why continue with the relationship? Better to walk off, isn’t it?

저는 한국문화을 좋아헤요~

That means “I love Korean Culture”. Well, not a surprise. It’s expected of Judson what.

What I didn’t expect is my interest in things Korean is influencing my decisions about my future.

I am seriously contemplating about doing my Masters in Korea itself. Doing sociology or anthropology.

I don’t know whether it’s a good idea, but don’t you think being tri-lingual is so cool? Nowadays, to be a true cosmopolitan, travelling and knowing more than 2 languages is a must. And the best way to learn a new language well is to totally throw yourself into that native environment.

Learn to speak and write it, or die.

Someone in my Qualitative Data Collection class made a somewhat offensive and bimbotic comment: “Europeans make intellectual conversations all the time. Like, you know, ‘Are you a Nationalist’ type of conversations, unlike Singaporeans. Local people are like…you know…don’t engage in such conversations.”

I was like, what the fuck.

She went to talk about her experiences in talking with the Dutch Ambassador and whatever elite class people she hung out with when she was in Europe.

Like, ok. Define what’s so un-intellectual we Singaporeans talk about that validates your prejudice towards the quality of intellectual conversations we should not have.

That lady later went off to have a burger at Burger King during break time, ALONE.

Aww.

But that got me thinking. IF what she said had a modicum of truth, then I think we should all get out of this small country. 20 years down the road, when the IRs get expended and there’s nothing more in this place to be exacavated for economic progress, we are going to regret for not choosing to be cosmopolitan when we were younger. And we would be stuck in the whatever jobs we would be holding then.

So yes. Better use the youth we have now wisely and venture out into the world. See, smell, look, learn, remember and be smarter. It’s the best way to up your self-worth, spiritually and economically.

The more languages you know, the more markets you can access. Learning new languages is such a powerful investment, yet many people fail to see that, thinking investment only involves money.

Wrong

It means I am feeling nostalgic. I hope I am not using the wrong expression, less my Korean speaking friends will laugh their heads off.

Nostalgic about what ? About NUS.

“Huh? But you have not graduated yet, Judson!”

I know. But I have less than a year left in this place. Shouldn’t I start feeling nostalgic?

I remember exactly one year ago, I told Ling that I am starting to feel nostalgic about NUS. And Ling being a friend who has seen and experienced all sorts of weird people states of mind, did not even bat an eyelid. “I completely understand where you are coming from.”

Where am I coming from? Well, many people graduate either one of these three responses:

a) Great ! Good riddance of this god-forsaken place!
b) Gosh. I will miss everything here =(
c) Nothing

I am very certain that I will fall into b). And because of that, I don’t wanna wait till I graduate then start reminiscing the past. Better start early. After all, recalling the sweet and bitter times tastes the best when you do it slowly, at your own pace. I believe that once I graduate, I will be sucked into capitalism (I am already in it, just not as deep) and soon will totally forget about even having to reminisce. So it’s good to start now.

But what and who will I miss? More importantly, who and what have I started missing ?

I think I am starting to miss Sociology of Tourism and Education. Those are my 2 most favourtie subjects so far. I already miss freshman orientation programs and camps. Man, those crazy (and youthful) times! I am very afraid of missing the stuff I have been doing in Voices for the past 3 years plus, because I still wanna continue doing them. Man, that’s a very long time to be in a CCA. But hey, when you really and truly love a thing, it sticks there in your life for a very long time.

Hopefully it’s the same for human relationships. So far, I have been dissappointed.

I am starting to miss my friends over at Science. After all, I started my life here with them. How are you guys ? Maybe you people even forgot that I exist in Arts still. Haha. I am starting to miss the people I have mixed with during my early years in Voices. After all, those were the ones who went through tough times with me and Yipei during Emerge 2007. I wish all of you can come back this instant and relive the happy times once through. No, many times through.

What about people from Sociology? Well, it’s only Ling, Tiffany and Joey. I am not sure about the rest for the rest of my Honors year. But my gut feeling says….

“Hmmm….”

So yes, this shall be my very first post. Prior to this, I have absolutely no idea on what Tumblr is, until my internet savvy sister told me that this is THE BLOGGING THING around to watch out for. “Forget about LiveJournal, Blogger and WordPress, bro. They suck.” said my sister. And so here I am trying to test the validity of her statement.

I used to blog on Taiwanese Mandarin blog service provider, Wretch. Unfortunately, they disabled embedding music on blogs, something which will irritate the hell out of music lovers around the world. And hence, my other reason to switching to Tumblr, for I hear this cool thing allows sharing of music through blogs. Cool stuff !

Anyway, what’s up with my title today ? The Smart Ones. I believe all of us with some form of education would have encountered this group of intellectuals during our academic career. Well, considering that I am in my Honors Class for Sociology, doesn’t that make me one of them ?

Technically, yes, if we are comparing with the rest who did not qualify for Honors. But as the saying goes : 人外有人，天外有天。There are always gonna be people better than you. That sucks , huh ?

And so I just finished Social Memory class and it’s one hell of an interesting perspective of society. But it gets challenging when you try to match yourself with the few smart ones in class who can see things from perspectives that elude you. And you go “Damn, why didn’t I see that?” Or “Wow. They are good”.

When I was younger, I hated The Smart Ones. I thought they were showing off their intelligence and insensitive to the ones less smart. But now, I don’t know. Because the class in a seminar, contributing ideas to the class is a big deal. It is the driving force that turns academia, that makes academia relevant.

So, the question is:If you have The Smart Ones in your class, would you see them as showing off to the professor that “Hey, look here dude. I know something that they don’t! Better give me some more credits, aight?” or should we see them as truly, sincerely wanting to contribute to the class for the advancement of academia and therefore mankind ?

Hmmmm.

What will happen to them years after graduation? Will The Smart Ones become The Successful Ones? Or will The Less Smart Ones be the The Eventually Admired Ones?

I am thinking too much.