The End Is Here Again

It's the last day of the year again. It was like only yesterday that I counted down to 2007 but now I'm ushering in 2008. Time really waits for no man, especially for an old man. Looking back at the past 364 days, I realised that other than being older, I've not inched too much forward. I'm still very much where I was last year this time. So does that mean that it has been another fruitless year for me? In a way, it does appear to be so but looking at it from another perspective, I did make some headways in my area of speciality – tutoring.

Since September, I've ventured into tutoring foreign Chinese students. With the influx of foreign students, especially those from China, I see the potential in providing a service that most would need. Not only do they need to get familiarise with the local curriculum, they also need help in boosting their confidence in the use of the English language. Having been part of the educational system, both as a student and as a teacher, it wasn't difficult for me to provide them with an insight into our school curriculum and to plot the various educational paths that are available to them. Having completed a module in English–Chinese Translation during my training as a teacher, I was quite at ease translating English texts into Chinese so as to help them in their understanding of the subjects they are learning. Other than being their tutor, I am also their tour guide. I have taken some of them around and in the process deepened their impression of our tiny red dot.

Compared to my local tutees, I found these foreign students more enthusiastic in their learning and would treasure every opportunity to acquire new knowledge. Perhaps, it's because they understand that their sole purpose of coming all the way here from their remote provinces is to get the English–based education that they couldn't get back home. Imagine these students cherishing so much the very thing that most of our local students take for granted. Perhaps that's why, more and more of these foreign students are outperforming the local ones. Thus, it's a matter of time when one of these students will emerge as the top PSLE, 'O' level or even 'A' level student.

Though it may sound that I've found the ideal job and I'm also happy with what I'm doing, I can't help feeling that something is still missing. I can't say what exactly it is or why I'm feeling so. It just feels that there is a void somewhere waiting to be filled. Anyway, I guess I should enjoy this new found venture and embrace whatever comes with it.

And it looks like it's going to be another busy year for me, not that it's something bad but just hope that it's going to be a satisfying one too. May all you people out there have a Bright and Sunny 2008.

Happy New Year Everyone!