Germany Pictures

Most of you would probably have forgotten about them, but not quite my couple of eagle-eyed, elephant-memoried buddies. =) Here they are, a sampling of my long overdue pics from my Dec 08 Germany adventure. Enjoy!


Munich - Bavarian restaurant


Munich - market


Munich - market


Munich - Concentration Camp


Munich - Town Hall


Dresden - baked apple desserts


Berlin - not-so-pretty street graffiti


Berlin - very pretty street graffiti


Berlin - Jewish memorial


Berlin - Berlin Wall


Berlin - Musuem Island


Hamburg - Town Hall


Hamburg - near WWII memorial


Hamburg - Reeperbahn (red light district)


Bremen - Railway station


Bremen - Christmas Market


Bremen - Roland Statue in front of Town Hall


Bremen - Bremen Town Musicians


Boppard - Road Signs


Boppard - Hotels by River Rhine


Heidelberg - Stroll along the river


Heidelberg - Schloss Castle


Heidelberg - Schloss Castle


Heidelberg - view from Schloss Castle


Freiburg - wintry view from apartment


Strasbourg - Christmas Tree


Strasbourg - Night walk


Strasbourg - Christmas market


Strasbourg - Day walk


Strasbourg - Day walk


Basel - Day walk


Freiburg - Potato patties + Gluwhein (spiced wine)


Freiburg - City Centre


Freiburg - View of city


Freiburg - Neighbourhood


Frankfurt - Railway station


Frankfurt - Christmas Market


Frankfurt - Day walk


Frankfurt - Day walk

Results Release

Today is A level results release day.

The cohort did not do well at all. Drop in percentage pass and quality grades across almost all subjects. Was so disappointing, the management did not share individual subject performance at all, and simply announced the identity of the few top students we had. I think P must have flipped in his office.

I was of course very disappointed the whole morning and early afternoon. Hugely deflated over the poor performance, slightly worried over what people may think and say, and dividedly lost as to whether to return for the official results release.

Was persuaded against, but eventually decided to go back and am very glad it was the right decision. Colleagues (save for one or two) and students were all very welcoming, and nobody tried to make anybody feel small/bad. The exchanges came easily and sincerely, and I guess this suggests that I had not been a detestable tyrant during the teaching/headship years. Those who mattered, still cared; and those who didn't, remained polite.

My classes did average. There were some unexpected performers, but also a couple of unpredicted slips. It was painful watching some of them shed tears of fear and regrets when, just 2 metres away, their friends were locked in ecstatic embraces of joy and relief.

For that few moments, I was reminded once again that school is really a place teeming with life and raw emotions. The office, on the other hand, can be just a place with lifeless albeit efficient computers powered by the on/off switches.

At the end of the day, I was worried about, but also comforted by, humans.

The Power of Punctuation

An English professor wrote the words:

'A woman without her man is nothing'

on the whiteboard and asked his students to punctuate the statement correctly.

All the males in the class wrote:

'A woman, without her man, is nothing.'


All the females in the class wrote:

'A woman: without her, man is nothing.'

Cutting through the fuzz

Have been doing a bit of thinking these few days.

A rojak of feelings.

Friends around me are moving on in their own lives. And I am moving on in mine too.

There's a mix of worry, sadness, fear, uncertainty, resignation, happiness, thankfulness, anticipation and peace. Confusing enough to warrant a mental check. Yet the mind is clear. It's just the heart that is a little screwed.

Very likely aggravated by the fact that the anniversaries are round the corner again. Into the 4th year. For the first time in my working life, I have the liberty to take leave on a work day. It'd be to the temples tomorrow morning, then to accompany dad to the hospital for his health check, and perhaps an afternoon dip in the pool to unscramble the fuzz a little.

Someone dear just sent this over:

人莫往塞处钻

明知空处好发展，世人偏向塞处钻。
不如山中的老直树， 消摇自在日日欢