"Voice from Heaven!"
- Nickname for me from an over-zealous colleague who had difficulty learning a song during a team building event. I had to sing every line to him repeatedly.
"Janice is not a stationery shop".
- My exasperated reply to many students who treated me like an administrator, or worse, like a maid. Everything they want, they think I can provide.
"Good work, keep it up."
- The 1st sem I taught, I ran out of vocab in my grading comments. This became a cliche for me. And the students taught it was a joke. By the time I came to sem 4, things changed drastically.
"You are like a sports car, driving at 50km/h."
- One of the many innovation grading comments I came up with during the later sems.
"Do you have to do so much?"
- One of the comments by my boss during my appraisal, which broke my heart. I showed the boss, the extra effort I put into teaching, and this was his reply. The coffin came out. I started to have thoughts on quitting.
"G105 would be more manageable."
- By my Assistant Director. The dept denied me the chance to do a module which I would have found more manageable as it was closer to my discipline. But they selfishly needed people on the compulsory G module, so this was their excuse. The final nail on the coffin. I began job-seeking that day.
"Teacher, why you always so nice to us?"
- By Elson, one of the boys in my favourite W34F class. He said this to me, when I brought them leftovers from a staff buffet. I was really "..." after that. I'm kind what, what else you want me to say?
"Any time, you need help, and I can be of help, call me."
- by one of the Directors from another dept. I sent him a thank-you email because he conducted my interview years ago. He was touched, and sent me this note. When he saw me again, on my 2nd last day, he shook my hand warmly and said this again. There are nice people in the world!
"The talk is confirmed but the speaker is not."
- By Dennis, one of my JIVE members. He kept promising to get a speaker from Binneale 2006 but didn't. So I asked him if the talk is confirmed, and this was his crazy reply. How can a talk be confirmed if there is no speaker?
"So sleepy."
- From my colleague, Joyce. She says this many times a day in different versions.
"There must be some way."
- By Ding Long, one of the boys from W43F. His response to a questions I posed to him to get him to suggest more ways to market something. I lol when he said this.
"How ah Janice? I really want to strangle him!"
-by Eddie, who is usually mild. He got really pissed by student Dennis (see above) one time, that he uttered these words in the lift.
"为人师表..."
-My response to my friend Yinghao everytime he utters a curse word or does something unruly, and unexpected of an educator.
"No I'm not a teacher. I always ask my students, I got teach you anything? No right?"
-Yinghao's response everytime I say "为人师表"
"Who will be left to do these rubbish work? It will be you lor, the AOs."
- One of the many discriminatory remarks about admin officers in this organisation. This one is from my final supervisor, Jaime, in response to me planning the Open House schedule.
"You have a degree, so when did you come to RP to be an AO."
- Another discriminatory remark. This time by my Director!
"Girl, girl, I will miss you leh."
- My good friend, Liling, to me when I was leaving.
"You will get over it."
- My response to Liling. I was joking lah. Sure we'll miss each other, but we will also keep in contact bah. I hope.
"Thank You for your guidance."
- From Kathy, one of my pioneer JIVE members. All the hard work that I put in.... and it ends up only as one Body Shop combi of body bath and lotion, and this sole thank-you line. But when it is uttered, you just feel, yea it was worth it. :)
(page pending more updates)
