mySoliloquy – Page 2 – this is my soliloquy…

Back…?

It’s been a while since I have last touched this blog.

Where do I begin? So many things have happened. The last post I made here (which I have deleted) was about me and NIE.

So it’s been a good few years since.

I guess a quick update would be good?

I’ve finished my PGDE. I’ve gone on to teach in a primary school. In fact, I have completed my bond! I’ve also resigned from MOE and I am now working in a polytechnic.

I am going to try and have a better understanding of what I want this space to be. Product reviews? Thoughts on education? Some amateur video recordings of travel?

In the meantime, have a great 2025.

During the Meranti Project over the last weekend, we had an experienced teacher come in for a dialogue session with my GESL group. The teacher shared something interesting with the group – the marigolds and the walnuts.

Many experienced gardeners follow a concept called companion planting: placing certain vegetables and plants near each other to improve growth for one or both plants. For example, rose growers plant garlic near their roses because it repels bugs and prevents fungal diseases. Among companion plants, the marigold is one of the best: It protects a wide variety of plants from pests and harmful weeds. If you plant a marigold beside most any garden vegetable, that vegetable will grow big and strong and healthy, protected and encouraged by its marigold.

Marigolds exist in our schools as well – encouraging, supporting and nurturing growing teachers on their way to maturity. If you can find at least one marigold in your school and stay close to them, you will grow. Find more than one and you will positively thrive.

While seeking out your marigolds, you’ll need to take note of the walnut trees. Successful gardeners avoid planting vegetables anywhere near walnut trees, which give off a toxic substance that can inhibit growth, wilt, and ultimately kill nearby vegetable plants. And sadly, if your school is like most, walnut trees will be abundant. They may not seem dangerous at first. In fact, some may appear to be good teachers – happy, social, well-organized. But here are some signs that you should keep your distance: Their take on the kids is negative. Their take on the administration is negative. Being around them makes you feel insecure, discouraged, overwhelmed, or embarrassed.

WALNUT TREES ARE POISON. Avoid them whenever you can. If you don’t, they will start to infect you, and soon you’ll hate teaching as much as they do.
– Jennifer Gonzalez, Find Your Marigold

I thought this was absolutely lovely. I am thankful that while I was in my old school, I had loads of marigolds around me. I shall strive to look out for the marigolds whilst in NIE. At the same time, I need to strive to make sure I do not become a walnut.

Meranti Project 2018

My Group Endeavours in Service Learning (GESL) group and I had to attend this 2-day course/module titled The Meranti Project. According to the National Institute of Education (NIE) website:

The Meranti Project is a MOE-funded personal and professional development programme specially tailored for student teachers. Held over two days in groups of 20, it has the following objectives:

a. helping student teachers to develop better self-awareness (better tuning into self);

b. providing a clearer idea of what Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) is all about and one’s role in nurturing CCE in innovative ways in the classroom;

c. better ideas of working with diversity in the classroom;

d. strategies for coping with being a teacher;

e. affirmation of choosing teaching as a career.

With the aid of informal dialogue sessions with veteran teachers, it gives student teachers the opportunity to listen to firsthand experiences of teachers and the perspectives of student learners. The programme also makes use of open sharing sessions and ingenious games to help the student teachers experience the core competencies of social emotional learning, to share their personal aspirations with their peers and to express their opinions in an open and creative environment.

At the end of the programme, student teachers will have a better grasp of the innovative approaches to Character and Citizenship Education and be better equipped when they begin their teaching journey upon graduation.

It was certainly an interesting 2-days. I will not blog about what happened as I respect the confidentiality agreement made before the course started but what I can say is that I had a very good facilitator.

I have heard horror stories from friends and seniors and I am really glad that my experience is rather positive. It is definitely due to the facilitator as well as my GESL group mates. After the end of the course, I guess I have learnt more about my GESL mates. Would I say it has brought us closer? Maybe. It has made me respect them more after hearing about their reasons and struggles about becoming an Education Officer (EO) and for a few of them, their journey has paralleled my own.

All in all, I guess this has taught me one thing. Keep an open mind. Always. Even if those who tells you one thing are someone close to you, someone whose advice really matters, keep an open mind. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Experiences are always personal and what may be a waste of time for someone may actually strike a chord in someone else.

Bali Day 5

It’s our last full day in Ubud, Bali.

Right now, we’re just chilling in Seniman Coffee Studio. Their menu looks good and the selection is quite varied. Apparently, they roast their own beans here as well.

I ordered an iced lemongrass tea while the fiancée ordered Iced Kopi Susu.

The Iced Kopi Susu came on a long tray with water and some kind of coconut jelly. The iced lemongrass tea came with dried fruits.

Bali Day 4

We went for a white water rafting adventure this morning. They picked us up from our hotel at about 9am and brought us to their headquarters. The adventure is expensive. It cost about US$75 per person and it includes lunch as well as insurance.

The facility was sorely lacking though our guide kind of made up for it. I mean, there were no water in the shower stall. Thankfully, we had planned to shower back at the hotel and to just change into yesterday’s clothes instead after the rafting trip.

Anyway, our rafting took place on the Ayung river. Our guide told us later that as it is the dry season, it is only a Class 2 rapids. During the rainy season however, it would be reclassified as a Class 3 rapids.

We didn’t manage to take any photos as we didn’t bring along our phones or cameras. We didn’t have any means of waterproofing them so we didn’t bother. Heh. I want a Gopro camera with the waterproof case and selfie stick for future trips!

I did enjoy myself although on hindsight, I should have done my research. The company we hired was ok but there were a lot of other companies offering white water rafting as well. I should have looked at others and compared prices or even looked online for ones with better facilities. Lunch was also just okay. I’m not complaining though. Just more of a note for future references.

We’re just chilling now in the hotel. We got back just before 2pm and we will be heading out at about 6pm for dinner. In the meantime, I want to rest. I’m not tired due to the rafting. I’m tired from the hike up and down the river!

I didn’t mention earlier but to get to our rafts, we had to trek down to the river. We took at least 15mins trekking down the mountain to the river. There were steps carved into the mountain. Steps were pretty high though. As a short person, I had to stretch. Hah! And the way back up also took about 15mins. It was worth it though.

All in all, it was fun. I’ll do it again in a heartbeat! Different company this time though.