RP Interview, National Day

The past few days have been a whirlwind of activity, sigh! On Tuesday I went to RP for an interview to be an academic staff in the Centre for Educational Development. It was a great trip, immersing myself once again in a surrounding of youthful vibrancy. I spoke to KR, the head of the department and it was a great chat, though I felt we might have mistakened on a few fronts. There was this part where we talked about the use of contemporary modes of faceless communications such as online chats might impact on the standard of English as a medium of communication, and I hope she didn't get the mistakened impression that I am troubled about the possibly lower standards of English in RP students and how I might have a tough job communicating my ideas across. Isn't that a challenge that educators face as part and parcel of their job anyway? Then there was another moment when I asked on the career prospects of fellow staff members as a way of establishing prospective career paths within the organization. She ended up responding that they become corporate trainers in PBL which was something really outside the organization and I felt she might have misunderstood me that I do not consider staying after a few years... oh well...

Sigh! I guess employer/employee loyalty is really a thing of the past.

* * *

August 9 is Singapore's National Day! It's the last year they're having the parade in the historic National Stadium before it gets torn down to make way for a new sporting development, though I personally don't have much of an attachment to it other than doing the New Paper Big Walk many years back that brought me around the stadium. Anyway last Saturday HM brought me to watch the Singapore Fireworks Festival, so everyone in my family thought it'd occur again on National Day itself. Although there was the nagging suspicion that there wasn't one scheduled as informed on the internet, we went along to Benjamin Sheares bridge along with countless others. We were awfully early, and waited for 3 hours in vain! We could only see a small part of the awfully short fireworks as it peeked over the top of the National Stadium and it was over in 5 minutes. Everyone felt so cheated, especially those waiting eagerly at the Esplanade who were even further away from the stadium and can't see anything at all!


It was raining pretty heavily in the morning, so it was a blessing in disguise really 'cos it cleared up in the afternoon and it was thus glorious weather for the parade.


Mother & Daughter shots... awww...

The Central Business District, or the postcard skyline of Singapore.


More clouds!


Now for a hubby-n-wifey shot


That's a huge shot of the chinook dangling the national flag. That's what happens when we use digital zoom haha.


As the sun sets, a beautiful orange enveloped the sky.


Argh, the crowds are coming!


My mom was so clever to have spotted a section on the bridge where there's a little edge where we can all park our bums. Quite a lot of those around us had to stand there for a few hours or sit on the (dirtier) floor. Imagine so much dedication, and the disappointment when no fireworks were fired on our side!