What is with the Adele hype? And other random musings/updates.

She's a great soul singer, but really the composition of her albums seems to be lacking in some way, in some element (well, with some notable exceptions, of course). I don't know what it is exactly about them which strikes me as plain.

I've been doing a little light job hunting to occupy myself these holidays. Yesterday I wrote a resume which I'm going to go around distributing to various stores at Westfield. It wouldn't be half bad to work at a place like Typo.

But in all honesty I would rather tutor kids studying for the Opportunity Class and Selective School exams. It's one of the things I feel like I really get, crazy as that sounds.

..The reason being that I was one of these kids. I began the aforementioned intense academic coaching at the tender age of 8, back in year 3 - a weekly ritual which consisted of about 5 exams each lesson, altogether for 3 hours. You would swap your answers with the person in front of you, who would then call out your results to the entire room after marking each part. Everyone's marks would then be totaled on a whiteboard at the front of the room, to be released to the hungry parents who would burst in at the end to review all the scores, comparing their own child with everyone else in the class. It was very competitive, with lots of tears coupled with congratulatory murmurs spanning the little room.

It sounds worse than it was.

Actually, yeah it sounds really messed up.

But I felt it really contributed to my high selective school mark (and thus admission into my wonderful high school which I now miss very much upon graduation). How I got through it was I would sort of pretend it was a game - by the end I think I found myself enjoying it.

A sad way to spend my Saturdays.

However, I got quite good marks, a lot of times coming in 1st, 2nd or 3rd (chocolate prizes were given to these place-holders) in the class of 30, so that probably contributed to my rather passive, ligeglad (forgot the English word, replaced it with Danish - an awkward reversal of languages) view of the entire institution. My sister didn't fare so well, so she absolutely hated it. I probably wouldn't have been able to stand it either if I were her.

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, tutoring people.

You may wonder why I would want to contribute to such an institution. The whole process might seem rather barbaric to an outsider, forcing undue pressure onto young children who ought to be enjoying their childhood and running around with friends. God knows, there have been so many media articles criticising this particularly Asian trait from a certain columnist called Anna Patty (seen here putting a patronisingly great emphasis on the link between Asians and coaching colleges: http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/migrant-pupils-top-the-entry-tests-for-selective-schools-20100702-zu56.html)

I get that. But it is crucial to note major differences in the mindsets of these children, compared to what may pertain to the majority of the state. Whilst the latter may complain about their teachers and 'hate' learning at school, preferring instead to pursue other interests, the former tend to take on a more long-term approach, rather than focus on they would like the do right at that particular moment (play, obviously). Don't get me wrong, it's not like every time they'd willingly sit down and just do work - they are still children, after all - but always in the back of the mind there is a grudging acceptance that this needs to be done for future academic success. No matter how much I might have whinged, cried and complained, I knew that it was for my own benefit.

Perhaps this is simply the culture I grew up in.

So asking again, why would I want to support this industry?

I feel like I would have something positive to contribute to it. I certainly resent the overly critical culture surrounding coaching on the part of parents and those of the industry. One particular tutor told my sister she "shouldn't even be trying" for certain higher ranked selective schools.

They were right in the end, but regardless, to say it that bluntly to a child is abominable.

And that's exactly what I wouldn't do.

I really digressed a lot in this post.

It's because I'm bored.

Long story short, I need a fucking job.