Spring

Spring is back. She came upon us so silently. The wind that had been howling for the past few weeks had ceased. The gloomy clouds that cast that grey spell on the surrounding, lost their ashen grey, revealing their shiny white armour, floated peacefully in the clear blue skies. It was good to feel the warmth of the sun once again, burning lightly on my skin.

As I walked around the neighbourhood to look for the boys, I wondered whether it was worth my effort to burn the Saturday, hunting for boys to make sure that they were not disturbing the neighbourhood, chatising them to carry out their tasks to their best effort, wondering whether the money that we were going to get was worth all the while.

But when I saw Ismail and Katik running up the flats again and again, Samuel grinning proudly with his trolley full of newspapers and a gingerbread man in his bag, Kevin telling me about the kind souls who wanted to offer him drinks, I think the day had been well-spent.

2380 kg of newspapers, 251 kgs of clothings, $355 for a day's work. There is no better way to welcome the new year, than to spend a wonderous Saturday perspiring in the morning sun, for a good cause.

Maintaining my sanity

The year started with a bang, and I had not stopped running since.

22 hours of teaching periods not including the remedial hours, plus all additional time put in to mind the kids for make-up tests and counselling, I hardly had time to catch my breath. Coupled with the planning load for NCC and the monitoring of the part C, I found myself falling asleep on the sofa in the midst of marking more than once.

I need to find a way to maintain my sanitiy ...