2024 - It's Been a Wild Ride So Far!

I'm growing irritated by the growing trend of overbearing political correctness, the general over-sensitivity, and the gall of people trying to tell us what we can and cannot say.

It’s one thing to advocate proper speech and behaviour. It’s quite another to threaten consequences based on personal feelings or preferences.

This isn’t a new topic. It’s been discussed and expressed for a long time before now.

And yet, it isn’t getting better. If anything, it’s getting worse.

Someday, if we don’t annihilate ourselves, a future historian will look upon this time in their past, and wonder how we got to this point.

Perhaps the weariness of this situation is getting to people as well, and we are on the cusp of some earthshaking change. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to the announcement of the new old President of the America.

It’s 2024, and it’s been a wild ride so far!

A Gem of a Deal - Book Update August 2024

Some of you know that I have been working on another book - about gemstones. This is a mock-up of it. It probably won’t be the final cover, but this one looks good so far.

I’m updating the information to be more relevant to the post-pandemic world, especially market information pertaining to the gemstone industry and the changes that it is experiencing.

A Gem of a Deal was especially written to help people who are buying gemstones for the first time to know a bit more about what they are doing before they do it - hence the working subtitle - How to Buy Gems and Gemstone Jewellery Without Getting Ripped Off.

It also seeks to help beginner collectors get a head start and good deals for their first collections.

We all had to start somewhere, and I wish that I had something like this to refer to when I first started my collection those many, many years ago. It would have helped me to minimise my “school fees” and more expensive mistakes.

If all goes well, I should have something more concrete by the end of this year, and hopefully get this published and printed in 2025! Exciting stuff!

Entering a New Phase of Life

The thing about new phases of life is that they are rather difficult before and during the experiences.

Perhaps this is because they are often expensive - not necessarily in financial terms, though that can also be the case, but also in energetic and mental terms.

Moving to a new temporary place of residence certainly isn’t a walk in the park. Having to say goodbye to the previous place of residence is also tough.

The thing to look forward to, however, is perhaps worth it - a new home, with new fixtures, fittings, and furnishings.

On top of the obvious improved living conditions, we are planning for our new abode to house our hobbies, host our communities, and hone our skills.

Today marks the first day of the path towards this change.

I look forward to its completion.

18 Years In Education Later, I May Have To Move On

18 years in education is not a short time.

I am seriously contemplating a move out of it.

For those who’ve known me for some time, this may seem unexpected. After all, it’s what most people I know have known me for, and know that I truly enjoy.

Thankfully, though, it’s not the only thing they know me for. I do have options.

Perhaps it’s worth talking about - why I’m thinking about leaving the education industry, at least in Singapore.

Those who are parents or are educators themselves know that our local education system has mandated a fairly recent “update” to the way schools are handling class allocation for their students.

Essentially, each class is “mixed” - with students from different backgrounds, who have different aptitudes, and who likely have different life experiences thus far.

Each student is projected to learn each subject at their pace and at a level that is projected to cater to them.

The intent behind it was noble. The marketing to the public was focused on the positive. The educators themselves were informed way ahead of time and deemed prepared.

The results are, to put it lightly, not great. Even taking into consideration the usual teething problems at the start of any huge change, there is a clear lack of support and knowledge of handling rising issues.

It all looks to me like a poorly-thought-out grand experiment and I’m not confident that it will yield the hoped-for results, at least not within the next 5 - 10 years.

Some schools had piloted the move since a couple of years ago, but, as of 2024, this is now a nation-wide programme.

As an educator for nearly 2 decades, I’ve had my share of difficult audiences.

What I haven’t faced in that time is the sheer number of difficult audiences over such a short time.

I cannot speak for the teachers in the schools, but, from my interactions with them, they, too, are facing difficulties.

Add this to the tremendously unfair practices around getting school programmes, which I have talked about before, and this becomes a serious push factor away from this sector.

Yes, my current employment revolves around this sector, and a move away from it will likely entail an end to this state of affairs.

It’s not an easy move to make, and I don’t relish the potential problems that doing so will bring.

That said, I am nearly at my limit with the current situation and, unlike teachers who are bonded to the system, I can much more easily make a move. I believe that, this time, I likely will.