Continuing from Part 3c...
During my period of relief teaching, my Vice-Principal asked if I were to join my former ECA (NPCC) to continue as an ECA for my polytechnic. Now, that's an interesting option in which I'd never thought of before. But after giving some thoughts about it, I decided to take up the offer and challenge, and I went for the June 98 NPCC CI (Cadet Inspector) course, with the Vice-Principal and the teacher-in-charge's recommdendation.
The course was rather tough back then, but otherwise, meaningful. I gained more exposure to what other secondary schools had done for their NPCC activities, and hope to bring in some for my school. My Vice-Principal back then, was very supportive of ECAs and he gave good advices on how we could progress. My teacher-in-charge for NPCC was also very supportive, but because she was expecting, she was trying to look for another teacher to take over her role. And that is a disaster. In which, it didn't influence at that point in time, but somehow later. (Will cover that next in Part 4).
Working with the good old familer faces... The important people from my "Credit List". This is the period of time where the bond between us strengthened. Working together to plan and execute the NPCC activities, going for lunches, meeting up for movies and playing computer games... Fortunately, they were a bunch of good sensible people, as they didn't neglect their studies while doing all these together.
The most common things we'd done... Staying back after NPCC activities for meetings, soccer games, lunches... Common places we went: coffeeshop at the corner of the road which leads to our school, LJS at PP, a place call "Octopus" in PP, playing computer games / LAN at gaming shops in KSC. Games played were TF and CS. And for a period of time where we each played at home and connected through modems for a game called WC98.
This period of time didn't lasted for very long, but it seemed a lot of things were done and accomplished.
Apart from school, I also did private tuition. At least, my memory was fresh from the secondary school syllabus and I could give some tips or techniques to my tuition students. I'd a couple of students but 2 of them were from my VIP list: CWW and HTW. Both are doing fine with what they are doing currently and I'm happy for them.
To sum up, my deicison to leave TJC and move on to a path that's less ventured into, had provided me more insight and exposure on what's practical, what's not, what's an ideal and only an ideal, and what's empty promises. Looking around my peers of the same age, I'm proud to say, I'd been there, done that. And to overcome the odds, the odds where people think you might be crazy to do something that's not the norm, is a rather tedious process. People will throw funny stares at you, question your plans, laugh at your options and some even think you're degrading. Nevertheless, I'd manage to overcome that and proved that it is also an alternative way to life. Life is dynamic and robust and everyone just don't have to follow a common normal path to think that it's the one and only path. I wouldn't say I'm successful till this day, in fact, still far from it. But I'm still alive and surviving. And thankfully, in current context, this path that I'd treaded were followed by a lot others and they, too, were making good progresses. Of course, I'm not the only person on this track in the past, but at least, I'm one of them, and here I am, penning this down, to show that it's possible and plausible.
During my period of relief teaching, my Vice-Principal asked if I were to join my former ECA (NPCC) to continue as an ECA for my polytechnic. Now, that's an interesting option in which I'd never thought of before. But after giving some thoughts about it, I decided to take up the offer and challenge, and I went for the June 98 NPCC CI (Cadet Inspector) course, with the Vice-Principal and the teacher-in-charge's recommdendation.
The course was rather tough back then, but otherwise, meaningful. I gained more exposure to what other secondary schools had done for their NPCC activities, and hope to bring in some for my school. My Vice-Principal back then, was very supportive of ECAs and he gave good advices on how we could progress. My teacher-in-charge for NPCC was also very supportive, but because she was expecting, she was trying to look for another teacher to take over her role. And that is a disaster. In which, it didn't influence at that point in time, but somehow later. (Will cover that next in Part 4).
Working with the good old familer faces... The important people from my "Credit List". This is the period of time where the bond between us strengthened. Working together to plan and execute the NPCC activities, going for lunches, meeting up for movies and playing computer games... Fortunately, they were a bunch of good sensible people, as they didn't neglect their studies while doing all these together.
The most common things we'd done... Staying back after NPCC activities for meetings, soccer games, lunches... Common places we went: coffeeshop at the corner of the road which leads to our school, LJS at PP, a place call "Octopus" in PP, playing computer games / LAN at gaming shops in KSC. Games played were TF and CS. And for a period of time where we each played at home and connected through modems for a game called WC98.
This period of time didn't lasted for very long, but it seemed a lot of things were done and accomplished.
Apart from school, I also did private tuition. At least, my memory was fresh from the secondary school syllabus and I could give some tips or techniques to my tuition students. I'd a couple of students but 2 of them were from my VIP list: CWW and HTW. Both are doing fine with what they are doing currently and I'm happy for them.
To sum up, my deicison to leave TJC and move on to a path that's less ventured into, had provided me more insight and exposure on what's practical, what's not, what's an ideal and only an ideal, and what's empty promises. Looking around my peers of the same age, I'm proud to say, I'd been there, done that. And to overcome the odds, the odds where people think you might be crazy to do something that's not the norm, is a rather tedious process. People will throw funny stares at you, question your plans, laugh at your options and some even think you're degrading. Nevertheless, I'd manage to overcome that and proved that it is also an alternative way to life. Life is dynamic and robust and everyone just don't have to follow a common normal path to think that it's the one and only path. I wouldn't say I'm successful till this day, in fact, still far from it. But I'm still alive and surviving. And thankfully, in current context, this path that I'd treaded were followed by a lot others and they, too, were making good progresses. Of course, I'm not the only person on this track in the past, but at least, I'm one of them, and here I am, penning this down, to show that it's possible and plausible.
