So... Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was spending a lot of time working on the school magazine, and how I thought it was finally all over? Well guess what. Its not.
It all began around last week. We shipped of what we thought was the last of our work to the printing company, and after they looked at our work, it turns out that the "resolution for the pictures wasn't high enough". They said that they might be able to redo it again for us, or maybe they might not. So, to prepare for the worst, the next day we worked hard to redo everything in the correct resolution. In the meantime, I had to redesign the front cover because it wasn't good enough, and after that, all there was left to do was wait.
Two days ago, the printing company contacted me. They said they needed our work. Yesterday, we went to the printing company, and apparently everything was okay. Except the front cover. They're still not quite satisfied with it.
Work has been going on for a month and a bit, and I thought everything was finally over, but turns out, we haven't even settled on a front cover yet. So it looks like I don't get much of a school holiday this year.
One person's initiative can have an indefinite effect on their surroundings, especially on the people around them.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Classroom Scandal Part 3 - The Investigation... Ends?
Classroom 4Sc1, SMK St. George. 14th November, 2011. 11:07 a.m.
At this very moment, here in the classroom of 4Sc1, a very important discussion is taking place. Here's the story: An anonymous letter addressed to the principal of the school was written with the intention to, as they say, "troll", four teachers in the school. The only indication to the writer's identity was the alias, 4Sc1 written on the head of the letter. There are twenty-five of us in class. Well... more or less. These days, more and more people don't come to school, because the school holidays are approaching and all. Nevertheless, those of us who have come, are going to get to the bottom of this.
"What's that you're writing over there?" Student19 looked over Student12's shoulder.
"Uh, nothing." Student12 hastily shut his notebook and shoved it into his pocket.
STUDENT19 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
The classroom had been in an atmosphere of gloomy unrest ever since the discussion began. Currently, Teacher had revealed Student16 and Student20 to be the most suspected by the teachers. However, most of the other students knew both of them for who they were, and it seemed unlikely that either of them could have done it. Everyone there was in a mood to find out the culprit.
As the discussion continued, Teacher told the students a few more details about the letter, as well as the investigations that had been carried out on the teachers' part.
"The letter was very nicely printed out, and in complete 'Formal Letter' format too, just like they teach in Bahasa Melayu class." Teacher explained. "No joke. It wasn't just a simple wall of text. Whoever wrote this letter did it by the textbook."
The students took this into new light among themselves. "Whoever did this must be good at Bahasa Melayu," they said.
Several pairs of eyes turned towards a rotund boy sitting in the front row.
"Oh, what, now you suspect me too?" Student21 moaned in denial.
STUDENT21 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Student25 patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Its just because you're the best at Bahasa Melayu."
Teacher chipped in. "Anyway, it wasn't you. Your Bahasa Melayu teacher read the letter and compared it to the various writing styles she has seen in your essays. Although she couldn't exactly pinpoint the culprit, she managed to eliminate a few suspects from the board."
A psychological sigh of relief passed through everyone's mind. At least someone was getting close to the bottom of the investigation.
Just then, a few more students entered the class. Obviously late, they apologized to the teacher and took their seats. A few of the students around them briefed them on the current situation.
"You know..." Teacher looked like she was about to begin telling a story, something that happened occasionally during Chemistry class. "I once heard a tale about a similar situation that took place at another school. I don't know whether its true or not, but apparently, someone typed a hate-mail to the principal. You see, this took place some years ago, when everyone used typewriters instead of printers. Well, there were only four typewriters in the whole school, and when they squinted very carefully at the words, one of the letters, I'm not sure which one, was slightly unaligned from the other letters, and from there they were able to deduce which typewriter-"
"Excuse me, teacher?" One of the students who had just entered class had raised his hand.
Teacher snapped back to reality from wherever she had been when she began telling the story. "Oh. What is it?"
By the way, this would be Student17 whose speaking to Teacher.
STUDENT17 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
"Uh... so someone wrote a letter of complaint to the Principal? Anonymously? From this class?"
"Yes. We're trying to find out who it was."
Student17 thought about it for a while. "Oh... Well, Teacher..." After taking a deep breath of righteousness and dramatic revelation, he said "I think I might know who did it."
At once, the students started asking more questions than they had when their Mathematics teacher had tried teaching them Differentiation. Teacher calmed things down and asked "Who do you think it was?"
"Well... its just a possibility, but... I think it was Suspect01."
(Please note. In order to avoid mixing up the numbers of students, I'm naming this suspect here Suspect01. Despite his different name, Suspect01 is still a student, just like all the other students. The only thing that sets him appart is that he is the first suspect to be brought to surface by the discussion. I had to give him a different name to make him easier to recognise. After all, you can only have so many numbers lined up in a row before they all start looking alike.)
I must admit that this came as a bit of a shock to me. Of all the people any one of us would have suspected, he would have been the last. Teacher was no less startled. At least the suspect himself wasn't present in the classroom.
"You're writing something again." "No I'm not. Stop bothering me." "Quiet, you two. Let's listen to what he has to say." "Sorry, Teacher." "Sorry, Teacher."
Teacher tried to stay calm. "Well, tell us why you suspect him."
WITNESS TESTIMONY
"Well, its only a possibility, but I think Suspect01 did it. I mean, he once said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal.
"When did the letter reach the principal's hands? Wasn't it Friday? Something like that. I'm quite sure he came to school on that day. Maybe that's when he planted the letter.
"I'm sure he had a motive to do it too."
After a while, Teacher broke the silence. "Well, that is something. He actually said he was going to write a letter to the principal? I'm sure that if we could get a hold of him, we can interrogate him properly and-"
Student25 interrupted. "Teacher, can I ask Student17 a few questions first? I want to find out a bit more about what he knows."
Teacher shrugged. "Well, of course. Go ahead and ask anything you want."
(Referring to Student25 as Student25 all the time is going to get tiresome, since his name is going to be appearing several more times in the near future. I'm re-aliasing him to... 'Boss'.)
CROSS-EXAMINATION
Student17: Well, its only a possibility, but I think Suspect01 did it. I mean, he once said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: So, he "said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal"? You mean he wanted to complain about the teachers not completing the syllabus?
Student17: Uh, not really. He did say he wanted to write a letter of complaint to the principal, but it was because of too much homework.
Teacher: Too much homework? He was going to write to the principal about that?
Student17: Well, he only said he was going to. I don't think he ever went through with it. But if he's ready to contemplate the idea, then you never know, right?
Boss: Hmm... continue.
Student17: When did the letter reach the principal's hands? Wasn't it Friday? Something like that. I'm quite sure he came to school on that day. Maybe that's when he planted the letter.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: I thought the letter was shoved under the principal's door at midnight, and she came across it the next morning.
Student12: *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* *ahem*.... Sorry, Boss. I'm afraid that was a bit of dramatization on my part. No one knows for sure when the letter really reached the principal's office, but it probably wasn't at midnight. And I can't tell for sure how mushc time passed in between her receiveing the letter and confronting the teachers.
Boss: ....Okay. But let's say the letter was shoved under the door on Friday. What makes you so sure he was at school on that day? Even I have trouble keeping attendance these days.
Student17: Well... remember that "Unity between races" questionairre that we had to take last week? That was Friday, wasn't it? I distinctly remember seeing him taking the questionairre. So, if he came to school on Friday, and if Friday was the day that the Principal got the letter, then he may have put it in the office on that one day he was at school. One thing for sure is, he hasn't been coming to school since the questionairre day.
Boss: Hmm... I see.
Student17: I'm sure he had a motive to do it too.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: Okay, aside from the whole "I heard him say he was gonna do it" business, why do you suspect him of the crime?
Teacher: Wait, I just thought of something. The letter was quite particular about your practical Biology teacher being better than your current teacher. So whoever wrote the letter must be quite close to the practical teacher, right?
('Practical Biology Teacher' is now aliased to 'Sah'. As in, you know, 'Sir', but pronounced in Britain. Or wherever. Oh, alright, I'll do the Investigation Record thing as well.)
SAH HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Student17: Spot on, Teacher. Suspect01 was very close to Sah, but he didn't like our Biology teacher very much.
Boss: Alright, I see where you're getting. Suspect01 put Sah in good light in his letter, hoping to have him back as out Biology teacher.
Student12: (Does Suspect01 take Accountancy? That's one of the subjects mentioned in the letter.)
Student19: (No, he used to take Accounts, but he stopped after a few months. He might have friend in Accounts, though.)
Boss: Hmm... no further questions.
This time, Student12 broke the silence. "So do you think it was Suspect01, Teacher?"
"I don't know, but we have certainly learnt a lot from today's discussion. Now that I think about it, Suspect01 was very close to Sah, wasn't he?"
Boss scratched his head. "That's what it looks like now, Teacher."
"Really though, as a teacher, I understand how bad your Biology teacher must feel right now. I mean, the writer actually compared her to a practical teacher. Do you know how sad she was?"
Student24 nudged Boss in the ribs. "Hey, Boss, as the class monitor, you should go and console her."
Everyone stared at him. Student24 was puzzled. "Wait, that's right, isn't it? 'Console'?"
Typically, in a classroom full of teenage boys, the word 'console' is instantly associated with the word 'video game', as in this case, where it causes some confusion.
Student12 tilted his head and thought carefully about it, mentally rolling the word around his mind's tongue. "'Console'... 'console'... Yeah, that sounds right. You console someone who feels upset."
Student24 grinned triumphantly. "Hah! I was right, right? 'Console' is correct! You guys just stared at me like that, and you almost made me believe I was wrong."
A few students, including Boss, started joking around with him.
"When I heard the word 'console', I immediately thought of 'video game console'!"
"Hah! Boss, you should go and 'console' our Biology teacher!"
"Hey, imagine: "We're very sorry teacher, here's and Xbox, please forgive us." Hahahah!"
Let us leave this merry lot and press on with the discussion. Throughout the course of the hour, small groups of students discussed among themselves and came up with a few more suspects, but none of the suspects came as strongly as Suspect01. However, due to the fickle nature of the teenage mind, the righteous desires of the class to uncover the culprit and bring him to light, soon dissipated, and was replaced by the equally righteous desire to find out what was for lunch. As they say in Melayu, "the heat of a chicken's droppings", meaning that dedication usually doesn't last for long. No joke. Most probably by next year, when school reopens, everyone would have forgotten all about the whole thing, and no one would even ask Suspect01 anything about the matter. But the important thing is this: It happened, and its not a small thing. We should remembr this incident in our hearts as a reminder that, there is nothing that humans will not do, no matter how vile or damaging. Also remember that your teachers care for you, and you should respect them in return. And so on and so forth.
*****************************
INVESTIGATION RECORD PAGE 2
Alias: Student17
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: A witness in this investigation. To protect his identity, I'm going to reveal as little about him as is possible. In fact, I've said too much already.
Alias: Student19
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: I don't know if you guys even bother to keep track of all these numbers, or whether you even read the descriptions of people, but you might remember Student19 getting a small mention in Part 2 of the story. He's the class assistant monitor who just so happened to be sitting next to me during the discussion. I decided to include him for, as they say, "the lulz".
Alias: Student21
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Once again, included just for "the lulz". I'm sure 80% of the class would be able to identify him based on the situation I put him in during the investigation, and also from the description, but he's not a suspect and has nothing to worry about. Also, I hope he forgives me for calling him "rotund".
Alias: Boss
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Boss is, basically, Student25 with his sleeves rolled up. The name is a lot cooler, and is easier to type than 'Student25'. I'm sure he doesn't mind me putting him in the role of a ruthless interrogator.
Alias: Suspect01
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in this investigation, which is a surprise, because he is the second last person I would have suspected. Since he doesn't often speak up in class and doesn't seem very interested in his studies, one would think he couldn't care less if the teachers were good ones or not. But there is a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing at him. Or whatever.
Alias: Sah
Age: I dunno, somewhere in his twenties.
Gender: Male
Description: Maybe I'm being unclear on what I mean by 'practical teacher'. Apparently, when people are on their way to becoming a school teacher, somewhere in the proccess they get sent to a seemingly random school, where they receive experience by teaching a few classes. Basically, they replace whatever teacher was teaching you before, and he tries out teaching for a few months, then they send him back to the University. So you see why its such a big deal that a salted and seasoned teacher like out Biology teacher would be compare to Sah. Of course, none of this is his fault in any way.
*********************************************
It is SO late right now. But then again, what's new?
Year End School Holidays have begun! This means that every student in Form 4 now gets two months off to play video games all day and obliterate everything they learned that year. Hip hip hoorah and all that.
We have come to the conclusion of the Classroom Scandal! Not much of a conclusion, I admit, but that's what life is like. It's very rarely exciting, especially when the aforementioned life takes place in a middle school full of boys. Out of the usual colorful middle-school-mix of Politics, Studies, and Romance, students in SMK St. George only get 2 out of 3. Believe me, the story would have been a lot more interesting if it had taken place in SMJK Hua Lian, or somewhere. Definitely not St. George's.
One important rule I've always held onto when writing is, if you enjoy writing it, then people will enjoy reading it. I think I must have read that somewhere. To that end, I dreaded the moment when I would have finally had to conclude the story, because as you can see, its not very much of an ending. But, thanks to some last minute inspiration, I was able to dramatize the story to such outrageous proportions, that I think I at least won't get egged for it.
Of course no one else thought of Student17's explanation as a "Witness Testimony", and of course "Boss" didn't shout "Hold it!" all the time, but I like it that way.
Want a quote? How's this?
"The best kind of video game is that needs batteries. You can only play it for so long before it makes you do a bit of exercise." ~Me, running out of inspiration.
At this very moment, here in the classroom of 4Sc1, a very important discussion is taking place. Here's the story: An anonymous letter addressed to the principal of the school was written with the intention to, as they say, "troll", four teachers in the school. The only indication to the writer's identity was the alias, 4Sc1 written on the head of the letter. There are twenty-five of us in class. Well... more or less. These days, more and more people don't come to school, because the school holidays are approaching and all. Nevertheless, those of us who have come, are going to get to the bottom of this.
"What's that you're writing over there?" Student19 looked over Student12's shoulder.
"Uh, nothing." Student12 hastily shut his notebook and shoved it into his pocket.
STUDENT19 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
The classroom had been in an atmosphere of gloomy unrest ever since the discussion began. Currently, Teacher had revealed Student16 and Student20 to be the most suspected by the teachers. However, most of the other students knew both of them for who they were, and it seemed unlikely that either of them could have done it. Everyone there was in a mood to find out the culprit.
As the discussion continued, Teacher told the students a few more details about the letter, as well as the investigations that had been carried out on the teachers' part.
"The letter was very nicely printed out, and in complete 'Formal Letter' format too, just like they teach in Bahasa Melayu class." Teacher explained. "No joke. It wasn't just a simple wall of text. Whoever wrote this letter did it by the textbook."
The students took this into new light among themselves. "Whoever did this must be good at Bahasa Melayu," they said.
Several pairs of eyes turned towards a rotund boy sitting in the front row.
"Oh, what, now you suspect me too?" Student21 moaned in denial.
STUDENT21 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Student25 patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Its just because you're the best at Bahasa Melayu."
Teacher chipped in. "Anyway, it wasn't you. Your Bahasa Melayu teacher read the letter and compared it to the various writing styles she has seen in your essays. Although she couldn't exactly pinpoint the culprit, she managed to eliminate a few suspects from the board."
A psychological sigh of relief passed through everyone's mind. At least someone was getting close to the bottom of the investigation.
Just then, a few more students entered the class. Obviously late, they apologized to the teacher and took their seats. A few of the students around them briefed them on the current situation.
"You know..." Teacher looked like she was about to begin telling a story, something that happened occasionally during Chemistry class. "I once heard a tale about a similar situation that took place at another school. I don't know whether its true or not, but apparently, someone typed a hate-mail to the principal. You see, this took place some years ago, when everyone used typewriters instead of printers. Well, there were only four typewriters in the whole school, and when they squinted very carefully at the words, one of the letters, I'm not sure which one, was slightly unaligned from the other letters, and from there they were able to deduce which typewriter-"
"Excuse me, teacher?" One of the students who had just entered class had raised his hand.
Teacher snapped back to reality from wherever she had been when she began telling the story. "Oh. What is it?"
By the way, this would be Student17 whose speaking to Teacher.
STUDENT17 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
"Uh... so someone wrote a letter of complaint to the Principal? Anonymously? From this class?"
"Yes. We're trying to find out who it was."
Student17 thought about it for a while. "Oh... Well, Teacher..." After taking a deep breath of righteousness and dramatic revelation, he said "I think I might know who did it."
At once, the students started asking more questions than they had when their Mathematics teacher had tried teaching them Differentiation. Teacher calmed things down and asked "Who do you think it was?"
"Well... its just a possibility, but... I think it was Suspect01."
(Please note. In order to avoid mixing up the numbers of students, I'm naming this suspect here Suspect01. Despite his different name, Suspect01 is still a student, just like all the other students. The only thing that sets him appart is that he is the first suspect to be brought to surface by the discussion. I had to give him a different name to make him easier to recognise. After all, you can only have so many numbers lined up in a row before they all start looking alike.)
I must admit that this came as a bit of a shock to me. Of all the people any one of us would have suspected, he would have been the last. Teacher was no less startled. At least the suspect himself wasn't present in the classroom.
"You're writing something again." "No I'm not. Stop bothering me." "Quiet, you two. Let's listen to what he has to say." "Sorry, Teacher." "Sorry, Teacher."
Teacher tried to stay calm. "Well, tell us why you suspect him."
WITNESS TESTIMONY
"Well, its only a possibility, but I think Suspect01 did it. I mean, he once said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal.
"When did the letter reach the principal's hands? Wasn't it Friday? Something like that. I'm quite sure he came to school on that day. Maybe that's when he planted the letter.
"I'm sure he had a motive to do it too."
After a while, Teacher broke the silence. "Well, that is something. He actually said he was going to write a letter to the principal? I'm sure that if we could get a hold of him, we can interrogate him properly and-"
Student25 interrupted. "Teacher, can I ask Student17 a few questions first? I want to find out a bit more about what he knows."
Teacher shrugged. "Well, of course. Go ahead and ask anything you want."
(Referring to Student25 as Student25 all the time is going to get tiresome, since his name is going to be appearing several more times in the near future. I'm re-aliasing him to... 'Boss'.)
CROSS-EXAMINATION
Student17: Well, its only a possibility, but I think Suspect01 did it. I mean, he once said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: So, he "said something about wanting to write a letter to the principal"? You mean he wanted to complain about the teachers not completing the syllabus?
Student17: Uh, not really. He did say he wanted to write a letter of complaint to the principal, but it was because of too much homework.
Teacher: Too much homework? He was going to write to the principal about that?
Student17: Well, he only said he was going to. I don't think he ever went through with it. But if he's ready to contemplate the idea, then you never know, right?
Boss: Hmm... continue.
Student17: When did the letter reach the principal's hands? Wasn't it Friday? Something like that. I'm quite sure he came to school on that day. Maybe that's when he planted the letter.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: I thought the letter was shoved under the principal's door at midnight, and she came across it the next morning.
Student12: *COUGH* *COUGH* *COUGH* *ahem*.... Sorry, Boss. I'm afraid that was a bit of dramatization on my part. No one knows for sure when the letter really reached the principal's office, but it probably wasn't at midnight. And I can't tell for sure how mushc time passed in between her receiveing the letter and confronting the teachers.
Boss: ....Okay. But let's say the letter was shoved under the door on Friday. What makes you so sure he was at school on that day? Even I have trouble keeping attendance these days.
Student17: Well... remember that "Unity between races" questionairre that we had to take last week? That was Friday, wasn't it? I distinctly remember seeing him taking the questionairre. So, if he came to school on Friday, and if Friday was the day that the Principal got the letter, then he may have put it in the office on that one day he was at school. One thing for sure is, he hasn't been coming to school since the questionairre day.
Boss: Hmm... I see.
Student17: I'm sure he had a motive to do it too.
Boss: Hold it!
Boss: Okay, aside from the whole "I heard him say he was gonna do it" business, why do you suspect him of the crime?
Teacher: Wait, I just thought of something. The letter was quite particular about your practical Biology teacher being better than your current teacher. So whoever wrote the letter must be quite close to the practical teacher, right?
('Practical Biology Teacher' is now aliased to 'Sah'. As in, you know, 'Sir', but pronounced in Britain. Or wherever. Oh, alright, I'll do the Investigation Record thing as well.)
SAH HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Student17: Spot on, Teacher. Suspect01 was very close to Sah, but he didn't like our Biology teacher very much.
Boss: Alright, I see where you're getting. Suspect01 put Sah in good light in his letter, hoping to have him back as out Biology teacher.
Student12: (Does Suspect01 take Accountancy? That's one of the subjects mentioned in the letter.)
Student19: (No, he used to take Accounts, but he stopped after a few months. He might have friend in Accounts, though.)
Boss: Hmm... no further questions.
This time, Student12 broke the silence. "So do you think it was Suspect01, Teacher?"
"I don't know, but we have certainly learnt a lot from today's discussion. Now that I think about it, Suspect01 was very close to Sah, wasn't he?"
Boss scratched his head. "That's what it looks like now, Teacher."
"Really though, as a teacher, I understand how bad your Biology teacher must feel right now. I mean, the writer actually compared her to a practical teacher. Do you know how sad she was?"
Student24 nudged Boss in the ribs. "Hey, Boss, as the class monitor, you should go and console her."
Everyone stared at him. Student24 was puzzled. "Wait, that's right, isn't it? 'Console'?"
Typically, in a classroom full of teenage boys, the word 'console' is instantly associated with the word 'video game', as in this case, where it causes some confusion.
Student12 tilted his head and thought carefully about it, mentally rolling the word around his mind's tongue. "'Console'... 'console'... Yeah, that sounds right. You console someone who feels upset."
Student24 grinned triumphantly. "Hah! I was right, right? 'Console' is correct! You guys just stared at me like that, and you almost made me believe I was wrong."
A few students, including Boss, started joking around with him.
"When I heard the word 'console', I immediately thought of 'video game console'!"
"Hah! Boss, you should go and 'console' our Biology teacher!"
"Hey, imagine: "We're very sorry teacher, here's and Xbox, please forgive us." Hahahah!"
Let us leave this merry lot and press on with the discussion. Throughout the course of the hour, small groups of students discussed among themselves and came up with a few more suspects, but none of the suspects came as strongly as Suspect01. However, due to the fickle nature of the teenage mind, the righteous desires of the class to uncover the culprit and bring him to light, soon dissipated, and was replaced by the equally righteous desire to find out what was for lunch. As they say in Melayu, "the heat of a chicken's droppings", meaning that dedication usually doesn't last for long. No joke. Most probably by next year, when school reopens, everyone would have forgotten all about the whole thing, and no one would even ask Suspect01 anything about the matter. But the important thing is this: It happened, and its not a small thing. We should remembr this incident in our hearts as a reminder that, there is nothing that humans will not do, no matter how vile or damaging. Also remember that your teachers care for you, and you should respect them in return. And so on and so forth.
*****************************
INVESTIGATION RECORD PAGE 2
Alias: Student17
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: A witness in this investigation. To protect his identity, I'm going to reveal as little about him as is possible. In fact, I've said too much already.
Alias: Student19
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: I don't know if you guys even bother to keep track of all these numbers, or whether you even read the descriptions of people, but you might remember Student19 getting a small mention in Part 2 of the story. He's the class assistant monitor who just so happened to be sitting next to me during the discussion. I decided to include him for, as they say, "the lulz".
Alias: Student21
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Once again, included just for "the lulz". I'm sure 80% of the class would be able to identify him based on the situation I put him in during the investigation, and also from the description, but he's not a suspect and has nothing to worry about. Also, I hope he forgives me for calling him "rotund".
Alias: Boss
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Boss is, basically, Student25 with his sleeves rolled up. The name is a lot cooler, and is easier to type than 'Student25'. I'm sure he doesn't mind me putting him in the role of a ruthless interrogator.
Alias: Suspect01
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in this investigation, which is a surprise, because he is the second last person I would have suspected. Since he doesn't often speak up in class and doesn't seem very interested in his studies, one would think he couldn't care less if the teachers were good ones or not. But there is a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing at him. Or whatever.
Alias: Sah
Age: I dunno, somewhere in his twenties.
Gender: Male
Description: Maybe I'm being unclear on what I mean by 'practical teacher'. Apparently, when people are on their way to becoming a school teacher, somewhere in the proccess they get sent to a seemingly random school, where they receive experience by teaching a few classes. Basically, they replace whatever teacher was teaching you before, and he tries out teaching for a few months, then they send him back to the University. So you see why its such a big deal that a salted and seasoned teacher like out Biology teacher would be compare to Sah. Of course, none of this is his fault in any way.
*********************************************
It is SO late right now. But then again, what's new?
Year End School Holidays have begun! This means that every student in Form 4 now gets two months off to play video games all day and obliterate everything they learned that year. Hip hip hoorah and all that.
We have come to the conclusion of the Classroom Scandal! Not much of a conclusion, I admit, but that's what life is like. It's very rarely exciting, especially when the aforementioned life takes place in a middle school full of boys. Out of the usual colorful middle-school-mix of Politics, Studies, and Romance, students in SMK St. George only get 2 out of 3. Believe me, the story would have been a lot more interesting if it had taken place in SMJK Hua Lian, or somewhere. Definitely not St. George's.
One important rule I've always held onto when writing is, if you enjoy writing it, then people will enjoy reading it. I think I must have read that somewhere. To that end, I dreaded the moment when I would have finally had to conclude the story, because as you can see, its not very much of an ending. But, thanks to some last minute inspiration, I was able to dramatize the story to such outrageous proportions, that I think I at least won't get egged for it.
Of course no one else thought of Student17's explanation as a "Witness Testimony", and of course "Boss" didn't shout "Hold it!" all the time, but I like it that way.
Want a quote? How's this?
"The best kind of video game is that needs batteries. You can only play it for so long before it makes you do a bit of exercise." ~Me, running out of inspiration.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Sorry!
I should really be posting more blogs at this time, but several things are preventing me from doing this.
1. As I have mentioned before, I spend these days cooped up in the Editorial Board room at school, preparing the school magazine. This has been taking up a lot of my time. However, we finished up the last of our work today, so its very likely that I won't have to go anymore.
2. I started playing DotA, the online game that has already enfevered so many people in Malaysia today. Now I spend most of my free time devising new strategies and figuring out which items are good. This might take a while.
Well, alright, there are just two things. But I promise to update again and wrap up the Classroom Scandal story arc inside the week.
1. As I have mentioned before, I spend these days cooped up in the Editorial Board room at school, preparing the school magazine. This has been taking up a lot of my time. However, we finished up the last of our work today, so its very likely that I won't have to go anymore.
2. I started playing DotA, the online game that has already enfevered so many people in Malaysia today. Now I spend most of my free time devising new strategies and figuring out which items are good. This might take a while.
Well, alright, there are just two things. But I promise to update again and wrap up the Classroom Scandal story arc inside the week.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Classroom Scandal Part 2 - The Investigation Begins
14th November 2011. Four teachers were called to the office of the headmistress of SMK St. George. The reason: An anonymous letter, written by "The Class of 4Sc1",addressed to the headmistress, complained of the inefficiency of these four teachers in completing the syllabus for the year. Having been spread throughout the entire school, this news instilled anxiety in the hearts of the students of 4Sc1 themselves.
Four teachers. One class. Twenty-five students, twenty-five potential suspects. One perpetrator. And one stenographer.
All names have been witheld for legal and social purposes. Kindly assume each of the following characters to be fictional.
10:47 a.m. 4Sc1 Classroom, SMK St. George.
The classroom was glum. This is often the usual atmosphere found around classrooms, but this classroom was made even more glum by the fact that is was deprived of all students except for three of them. On top of that, there was a certain feeling of forebodingness hovering around the room. Then, footsteps. A student entered the classroom. Looking around the empty class, he spotted a friend and went to sit next to him. "Hey, isn't teacher here yet? I thought I was already late."
STUDENT12 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
His friend checked his watch. "Nope, it's ten-forty-four. Class starts in a minute."
Student12 appeared puzzled. "That can't be right. My watch says ten-forty-seven."
"Well mine says ten-forty-four, and its set to school time. Anyway, the bell hasn't rung yet."
"But the bell hasn't rung all day. I think it's out. Well, my watch says ten-forty-seven, so to me its ten-forty-seven, no matter what."
He looked around the classroom again. Aside from himself, there were three people. While the class usually held 25 students, about fifteen of them were busy working on the school magazine in the Editorial Board room, and about seven of them declared early holiday for themselves after the exams ended. That left a miserly amount of students in the classroom. But today, the class' Chemistry teacher had demanded that all the Editorial Board members be present in the classroom during her subject. Well, Student12 was here alright. The others would be on their way.
While he was musing in this fashion, their Chemistry teacher entered the classroom. Student12, seeing the class monitor to be out, and no one else doing the procedure, he took responsibility into his own hands. "STAND," he said. When all four of them were standing, he greeted her with the custmoary "Good Morning, Teacher." And the others echoed likewise.
The teacher nodded. "Good morning. Please sit. We shall wait for the others to come."
TEACHER HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
The students sat. Student12 spoke up. "Teacher, why have you called us to class? Most of use were busy in the Editorial Board room."
Teacher smiled grimly. "I think you all know why I called you here."
Student12 clenched his fists on the table in front of him, uncomfortably. "Yes, teacher."
Eventually, more students entered the class and took seats at the tables scattered clumsily around the room. When there were enough students, Teacher stood up and announced "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here. You have all heard about the anonymous letter that the headmistress received?"
They nodded. The class monitor, now having entered the class, spoke up. "Teacher, was the letter really anonymous?"
STUDENT25 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher nodded. "Yes. The writer did not give any indication towards his identity, aside from the letters '4SC1', written very largely on the top. The writer complained, yes, complained about four teachers, saying that they hadn't managed to complete the Form 4 syllabus. They even went so far as to say that the practical teacher you had for Biology was better than your current teacher! Your Biology teacher has been upset all morning, and she even cried a bit." A low murmur began in the classroom as each student began discussing the whole ordeal with their peers.
"And now I want to ask. Which one of you wrote the letter?"
A bespectacled boy raised his hand. "Teacher, what do all the teachers think?"
STUDENT24 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher sighed and pulled up a chair. Taking a seat, she steepled her fingers. "The teachers had a discussion of their own earlier today. Currently, their keeping a list of their most likely suspects. Currently..." She turned to two students sitting in the front row. "...you two are at the top of the list."
Both of them were shocked. "Me? Teacher, why do they suspect me?" "It wasn't me, teacher. Honest to goodness."
STUDENT16 AND STUDENT 20 HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher sighed and closed her eyes. Personally, she believed all twenty-five students in the class to be good boys. But the letter was written by someone declaring himself to represent 4Sc1. Now she couldn't really trust any one of them.
To be continued...
********************
INVESTIGATION RECORD
Alias: Student12
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Student12 is, for all practical purposes, me. Smileys! I'm declaring myself as a kind of stenographer, but in truth, I'm not really much of a good one. Rather than keeping a record of everything spoken in the investigation, I merely listen to it closely and reconstruct the conversation later, based on what I can remember. This inevitably leads to excess amounts of dramatization.
Alias: Student16
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in the investigation, Student16 is one of the "study-hard" types, who would typically be upset when he doesn't do well in an exam. On the other hand, he is not the type to complain about things that go wrong, and is busy these days with work in the Editorial Board. Besides, he did okay in the recent exam.
Alias: Student20
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in the investigation, Student20 is a lot like Student16, being similar in their devotion to their studies and their disappointment from a low grade. However, Student20 actually did quite well in the recent exam and does not really have any reason to complain, and is in any case a rather mild sort of person who actually gets on quite well with the teachers.
Alias: Student25
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: The class monitor of 4Sc1, quite a lot of the responsibility concerning this investigation falls on his shoulders. He is well known among teachers and students alike, and everyone expects something out of him in this investigation.
Alias: Student24
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: There's a reason why I put Student24 after Student25. Student24 sits next to Student25 in class. Although technically Student19 is the assistant class monitor, he's not very active as one, and its unlikely you'll see him in this story arc. Student24 fits in to the role much better, playing right-hand-man to Student25. He will be assisting in the investigation, and is not really suspected.
Alias: Teacher
Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
Description: One of the "victims", the one I call Teacher teaches the class Chemistry. As a plain and simple fact, she's a very nice teacher and its completely unlikely that any student might dislike her and want to disrepute her, and for her part she doesn't dislike any student either. Because of this, perhaps, she felt that being close enough to the class she could approach us and talk to us about the situation.
****************************
And so the investigation begins. This "story arc" is based on a real situation going on in my school. Alright, I dramatized a bit, but most of the truth is in there. Okay, so the anonymous letter wasn't delivered at midnight. Okay, the headmistress probably didn't shout at anyone either. I admit it, our Biology teacher didn't really cry, she was just probably really upset. Also, probably not the WHOLE school knows about the letter. None of us knew a thing about it until Teacher told us everything. Anyway, of course I had to dramatize things a bit. Life is seldom as exciting as stories, especially when said life take place in a middle school filled only with boys.
I'm afraid this little story arc isn't coming along as nicely as I hoped. Two problems arise in the smoooth execution of the story. The first is that since it is based of a real life situation, it has to be as accurate as possible. This stops me from blowing things out of proportion. Another problem is that since anyone might read my blog, and since the next update is going to reveal a few more suspects, I must be careful not to use anyone's real names, for "legal and social purposes". You don't need to know what that means and neither do I, but what it means is, don't slander people directly or you'll get in trouble.
At least the next episode is probably going to be the last. Remember to use the Cbox, people.
Today I find myself in Penang, and I forgot to bring the device I need to connect my handphone to the laptop. This means that even if I had taken an interesting picture laltely, I can't post it right now. So what shall it be? Another one of my ill-winded quotes? Nah, you get a proper quote this time.
"You don't have to be a beer drinker to play darts, but it helps." ~Author Unknown
I call that a proper quote, and that's what counts.
Four teachers. One class. Twenty-five students, twenty-five potential suspects. One perpetrator. And one stenographer.
All names have been witheld for legal and social purposes. Kindly assume each of the following characters to be fictional.
10:47 a.m. 4Sc1 Classroom, SMK St. George.
The classroom was glum. This is often the usual atmosphere found around classrooms, but this classroom was made even more glum by the fact that is was deprived of all students except for three of them. On top of that, there was a certain feeling of forebodingness hovering around the room. Then, footsteps. A student entered the classroom. Looking around the empty class, he spotted a friend and went to sit next to him. "Hey, isn't teacher here yet? I thought I was already late."
STUDENT12 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
His friend checked his watch. "Nope, it's ten-forty-four. Class starts in a minute."
Student12 appeared puzzled. "That can't be right. My watch says ten-forty-seven."
"Well mine says ten-forty-four, and its set to school time. Anyway, the bell hasn't rung yet."
"But the bell hasn't rung all day. I think it's out. Well, my watch says ten-forty-seven, so to me its ten-forty-seven, no matter what."
He looked around the classroom again. Aside from himself, there were three people. While the class usually held 25 students, about fifteen of them were busy working on the school magazine in the Editorial Board room, and about seven of them declared early holiday for themselves after the exams ended. That left a miserly amount of students in the classroom. But today, the class' Chemistry teacher had demanded that all the Editorial Board members be present in the classroom during her subject. Well, Student12 was here alright. The others would be on their way.
While he was musing in this fashion, their Chemistry teacher entered the classroom. Student12, seeing the class monitor to be out, and no one else doing the procedure, he took responsibility into his own hands. "STAND," he said. When all four of them were standing, he greeted her with the custmoary "Good Morning, Teacher." And the others echoed likewise.
The teacher nodded. "Good morning. Please sit. We shall wait for the others to come."
TEACHER HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
The students sat. Student12 spoke up. "Teacher, why have you called us to class? Most of use were busy in the Editorial Board room."
Teacher smiled grimly. "I think you all know why I called you here."
Student12 clenched his fists on the table in front of him, uncomfortably. "Yes, teacher."
Eventually, more students entered the class and took seats at the tables scattered clumsily around the room. When there were enough students, Teacher stood up and announced "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here. You have all heard about the anonymous letter that the headmistress received?"
They nodded. The class monitor, now having entered the class, spoke up. "Teacher, was the letter really anonymous?"
STUDENT25 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher nodded. "Yes. The writer did not give any indication towards his identity, aside from the letters '4SC1', written very largely on the top. The writer complained, yes, complained about four teachers, saying that they hadn't managed to complete the Form 4 syllabus. They even went so far as to say that the practical teacher you had for Biology was better than your current teacher! Your Biology teacher has been upset all morning, and she even cried a bit." A low murmur began in the classroom as each student began discussing the whole ordeal with their peers.
"And now I want to ask. Which one of you wrote the letter?"
A bespectacled boy raised his hand. "Teacher, what do all the teachers think?"
STUDENT24 HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher sighed and pulled up a chair. Taking a seat, she steepled her fingers. "The teachers had a discussion of their own earlier today. Currently, their keeping a list of their most likely suspects. Currently..." She turned to two students sitting in the front row. "...you two are at the top of the list."
Both of them were shocked. "Me? Teacher, why do they suspect me?" "It wasn't me, teacher. Honest to goodness."
STUDENT16 AND STUDENT 20 HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE INVESTIGATION RECORD
Teacher sighed and closed her eyes. Personally, she believed all twenty-five students in the class to be good boys. But the letter was written by someone declaring himself to represent 4Sc1. Now she couldn't really trust any one of them.
To be continued...
********************
INVESTIGATION RECORD
Alias: Student12
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Student12 is, for all practical purposes, me. Smileys! I'm declaring myself as a kind of stenographer, but in truth, I'm not really much of a good one. Rather than keeping a record of everything spoken in the investigation, I merely listen to it closely and reconstruct the conversation later, based on what I can remember. This inevitably leads to excess amounts of dramatization.
Alias: Student16
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in the investigation, Student16 is one of the "study-hard" types, who would typically be upset when he doesn't do well in an exam. On the other hand, he is not the type to complain about things that go wrong, and is busy these days with work in the Editorial Board. Besides, he did okay in the recent exam.
Alias: Student20
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: Currently a suspect in the investigation, Student20 is a lot like Student16, being similar in their devotion to their studies and their disappointment from a low grade. However, Student20 actually did quite well in the recent exam and does not really have any reason to complain, and is in any case a rather mild sort of person who actually gets on quite well with the teachers.
Alias: Student25
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: The class monitor of 4Sc1, quite a lot of the responsibility concerning this investigation falls on his shoulders. He is well known among teachers and students alike, and everyone expects something out of him in this investigation.
Alias: Student24
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Description: There's a reason why I put Student24 after Student25. Student24 sits next to Student25 in class. Although technically Student19 is the assistant class monitor, he's not very active as one, and its unlikely you'll see him in this story arc. Student24 fits in to the role much better, playing right-hand-man to Student25. He will be assisting in the investigation, and is not really suspected.
Alias: Teacher
Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
Description: One of the "victims", the one I call Teacher teaches the class Chemistry. As a plain and simple fact, she's a very nice teacher and its completely unlikely that any student might dislike her and want to disrepute her, and for her part she doesn't dislike any student either. Because of this, perhaps, she felt that being close enough to the class she could approach us and talk to us about the situation.
****************************
And so the investigation begins. This "story arc" is based on a real situation going on in my school. Alright, I dramatized a bit, but most of the truth is in there. Okay, so the anonymous letter wasn't delivered at midnight. Okay, the headmistress probably didn't shout at anyone either. I admit it, our Biology teacher didn't really cry, she was just probably really upset. Also, probably not the WHOLE school knows about the letter. None of us knew a thing about it until Teacher told us everything. Anyway, of course I had to dramatize things a bit. Life is seldom as exciting as stories, especially when said life take place in a middle school filled only with boys.
I'm afraid this little story arc isn't coming along as nicely as I hoped. Two problems arise in the smoooth execution of the story. The first is that since it is based of a real life situation, it has to be as accurate as possible. This stops me from blowing things out of proportion. Another problem is that since anyone might read my blog, and since the next update is going to reveal a few more suspects, I must be careful not to use anyone's real names, for "legal and social purposes". You don't need to know what that means and neither do I, but what it means is, don't slander people directly or you'll get in trouble.
At least the next episode is probably going to be the last. Remember to use the Cbox, people.
Today I find myself in Penang, and I forgot to bring the device I need to connect my handphone to the laptop. This means that even if I had taken an interesting picture laltely, I can't post it right now. So what shall it be? Another one of my ill-winded quotes? Nah, you get a proper quote this time.
"You don't have to be a beer drinker to play darts, but it helps." ~Author Unknown
I call that a proper quote, and that's what counts.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Classroom Scandal Part 1 - The Letter at Midnight
In the school, at midnight...
A figure is seen, prowling around the corridors. Its no surprise that he managed to get past the security guards; the old school had more holes in it than swiss cheese, which mice like this one use to exit school and "play hooky", as they call it.
Technically, the holes could also be used to enter school as well, although no student had ever thought of it like that before.
The apparition's specially padded shoes left not a sound, not an echo of a footstep as it made its way toward the Headmistress' Office. The figure produced an envelop out of nowhere, and slid it under the doorcrack...
And just like that, it disappeared.
The next day, it was inevitable that the headmistress would see the white envelop lying on the floor the moment she entered the office. She picked it up and looked at it. On the front was written, in a neat type font:
To: The head of SMK St. George Taiping
From: The class of 4Sc1
The headmistress was puzzled. Typically, it was not everyday that she got a letter addressed to her from one of the school's classes. But, the envelope was evidently meant for her and seemed very proper and official. She sat down at the desk and opened the envelope with her paper knife, revealing a printed letter on a clean piece of white paper. On the head of the letter, loud and clear, was written, "4SC1". The rest of the letter seemed to be a message to the headmistress. She leaned back in her chair and began to read.
Ten minutes later, four teachers were called to the headmistress' room. No one but the headmistress had any clue what was going to happen. Later, the teachers who had been in the school office said that between the time when the four teachers entered the office and when they walked out, there had been a certain amount of crying and shouting. When the teachers returned to the staff room, all four of them had their heads hung low, and the eyes of one of them were red and swollen. Several teachers grouped around them to find out what had happened. Wordlessly, one of them handed over a letter typed out on a clean white piece of paper. Its contents were, roughly:
The letter said,
"We are the class of 4Sc1 and we are not satisfied with the performance with some of our teachers, namely, our Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Accountancy teachers. Throughout the year, they failed to complete the syllabus for their respective subjects. This has caused, in my belief, the decline in the academic performance of several of the students in the recent exam. Furthermore, in my opinion, the practical Biology teacher the class took in for a few months was a lot better than our current teacher. We ask that you take action.
Sincerely, 4SC1."
To be continued...
**********************
The room grows silent. The teachers exchange nervous glances. A few students unfortunate enough to be in the staff room at that fated moment began feeling incredibly awkward, and sneaked out quietly. The news spread, gradually, throughout the whole school and everyone knew, deep in their hearts, that 4Sc1 was in some serious deep water. As for the class themselves, they were in pensive unrest for the rest of the day, everyone suspecting everyone else of being the author of the poison-pen letter.
Who could have done it? Or what if it isn't a single person, but a group of dark-syndicate members plotting for our teachers' demise? What do they have to say about it? Stay tuned...
Sorry, but it is once again SO late, so you don't get any proper closing picture or quote, AGAIN, so here's a quote of my own devising:
"If you find yourself having to think really hard about coming up with a neat quote, you're probably trying too hard." ~Me.
A figure is seen, prowling around the corridors. Its no surprise that he managed to get past the security guards; the old school had more holes in it than swiss cheese, which mice like this one use to exit school and "play hooky", as they call it.
Technically, the holes could also be used to enter school as well, although no student had ever thought of it like that before.
The apparition's specially padded shoes left not a sound, not an echo of a footstep as it made its way toward the Headmistress' Office. The figure produced an envelop out of nowhere, and slid it under the doorcrack...
And just like that, it disappeared.
The next day, it was inevitable that the headmistress would see the white envelop lying on the floor the moment she entered the office. She picked it up and looked at it. On the front was written, in a neat type font:
To: The head of SMK St. George Taiping
From: The class of 4Sc1
The headmistress was puzzled. Typically, it was not everyday that she got a letter addressed to her from one of the school's classes. But, the envelope was evidently meant for her and seemed very proper and official. She sat down at the desk and opened the envelope with her paper knife, revealing a printed letter on a clean piece of white paper. On the head of the letter, loud and clear, was written, "4SC1". The rest of the letter seemed to be a message to the headmistress. She leaned back in her chair and began to read.
Ten minutes later, four teachers were called to the headmistress' room. No one but the headmistress had any clue what was going to happen. Later, the teachers who had been in the school office said that between the time when the four teachers entered the office and when they walked out, there had been a certain amount of crying and shouting. When the teachers returned to the staff room, all four of them had their heads hung low, and the eyes of one of them were red and swollen. Several teachers grouped around them to find out what had happened. Wordlessly, one of them handed over a letter typed out on a clean white piece of paper. Its contents were, roughly:
The letter said,
"We are the class of 4Sc1 and we are not satisfied with the performance with some of our teachers, namely, our Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Accountancy teachers. Throughout the year, they failed to complete the syllabus for their respective subjects. This has caused, in my belief, the decline in the academic performance of several of the students in the recent exam. Furthermore, in my opinion, the practical Biology teacher the class took in for a few months was a lot better than our current teacher. We ask that you take action.
Sincerely, 4SC1."
To be continued...
**********************
The room grows silent. The teachers exchange nervous glances. A few students unfortunate enough to be in the staff room at that fated moment began feeling incredibly awkward, and sneaked out quietly. The news spread, gradually, throughout the whole school and everyone knew, deep in their hearts, that 4Sc1 was in some serious deep water. As for the class themselves, they were in pensive unrest for the rest of the day, everyone suspecting everyone else of being the author of the poison-pen letter.
Who could have done it? Or what if it isn't a single person, but a group of dark-syndicate members plotting for our teachers' demise? What do they have to say about it? Stay tuned...
Sorry, but it is once again SO late, so you don't get any proper closing picture or quote, AGAIN, so here's a quote of my own devising:
"If you find yourself having to think really hard about coming up with a neat quote, you're probably trying too hard." ~Me.
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