Sometimes I just want to walk out of the door and into the rain on a cold dark night. And walk and walk until I start to feel cold. And then sit by a platform on the roadside and just hug myself. Cos getting through the cold night alone means you can go through life alone. That’s to remind myself why I had learnt to be independent and not rely on anyone else. Cos ppl just disappoint. It’s just so much easier when you just trust yourself and do things by yourself. At the very least, you know you are one person you can depend on. How did I forget that?
ps: not being emo, but after these many yrs of training myself to not expect of others. cos diff ppl have diff agenda and their own rationale and own reasons for their decisions. i cant blame anyone. i wonder why i let myself lapse.
many many months have passed since the campaign went public. on Sunday, Ric O’ Barry touched down at Changi Airport to spend a few days here explaining the need for the campaign and hoping that RWS will at least have a chat with him. on tuesday, ACRES arranged for a dialogue session with him. well, the truth is, as excited as i was, having this wonderful once in a lifetime opportunity to meet this man, i knew we were gathering for a very sad reason. and just like what was mentioned during the Biodiversity Symposium, the target audience we would have loved to see wasnt there. members of the public who dont know what this issue is all about should have turned up. fans of RWS who wonder why some of us are petitioning for the release of the 25 miserable dolphins should have turned up. but yet again, it was those who didnt need convincing who turned up.
many of us have been writing to RWS for replies addressing the concerns we have over the plight of the remaining dolphins. Ric wrote a letter too. not one, not two. and yet, RWS claims they never received the letters. ACRES wrote in to RWS asking for a mtg. RWS declined a mtg with him, saying it felt no need for a debate. well, we know they have something to hide because they refuse to alleviate our concerns by answering the questions.we know they have something to hide.
ACRES has evidence of how dolphin training is happening in the tiny enclosure before it is brought to RWS in 2012. this is what RWS needs to do to train the dolphins before they appear in front of the millions of inhumane audiences who smile at them being tortured.
dolphins are social creatures. once again, i say, they NEED vast oceans to swim the distances and at that speeds. they do flips and turns and blow bubbles and play with things, but NOT at the instruction of the trainers who refuse to feed them unless they do the tricks. they are deprived of the sounds/currents/interaction they get in the wild. “the primary sense of dolphins is sounds. putting them in a concrete box is a sensory deprivation” they said there will be no dolphin shows, but they said there will be exercise sessions for dolphins which the visitors to RWS can see. why twist words when the ultimate objective is still to get ppl to pay money to watch dolphins? so tell me which part of dolphins shows does not reek of animal cruelty? “Why would they go forward with such a bad idea that is so obviously wrong?”
Even CNN covered the news.
yet RWS does not want to reply to the concerns raised. why hide if they are sure that their cause of captive dolphins is for education and conservation is ethical? “Real education is about knowing all the reasons and making an educated decision” so here’s pleading RWS to have a discussion, learn the concerns and consequences and make the right ethical decision.
ppl did ask whether dolphins stand a better chance living longer when kept captive. well, the reply was that if you were to be stuck in a room (you cant leave, obviously) with food delivered to you everyday. you would survive. there’s no question about that. surviving is not an issue. but surely you’d want to go out for a walk someday. talk to friends perhaps. enjoy the wind. so, “dolphins may survive in captivity. but its not about the quantity of life.. its the quality of life that matters.”
and for those who think that they might never have the opportunity to see dolphins upclose. well, there are ALOT of animals you might not get to see upclose he said. does it mean that everytime you want to see an animal from the wild, you got to capture it and bring it down and cage it up and exhibit it? ppl got to learn to curb their demands. there has to be a balance between interest and what can be achieved. a positive example of how wild animals can be enjoyed is whale watching. it seems that more money has been made from whale watching tours than killing whales through all the years of history.
dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals and they should NOT be kept captive. it is pure animal torture and is totally unethical. Ric described it as one of Nature’s Greatest Deception, that the dolphins are always appearing as though they are smiling. but in fact, they are under alot of stress. stress that could lead them to death. and 2 have already died.
RWS has already made alot of money in the first half of this year (S$500m if i remember correctly), and they made this much without having the dolphins around. and they will continue to make this much without the dolphins. they dont need the dolphins to make money. so i think now it is just a matter of who wins this fight. and we need help. staying silent does not help. if you understand the situation and realise that captive dolphins is pure animal torture, then speak up.
1) write to RWS (politely) and ask them to release the dolphins.
2) boycott RWS
3) spread the word to ppl you know, make them understand.
4) post on FB, take the photo petition, sign the petition
MasterCard which had announced discounted prices to RWS has taken it back. and has said that it does NOT support the marine life park at RWS.
“one brick at a time” said Ric. and we hope that too. as consumers, if we refuse to pay for the ticket to the MLP, they will lose money and be forced to reverse the situation. we do have the power.
please help to support the cause. dolphins are meant to be in the wild. it makes no sense that ppl can sit at seats and clap at dolphins being tortured. please spread the world.
RWS, please let the dolphins go!
*the bold statements were said by Ric O’ Barry and Louis Ng.
the following are media coverage of the Ric O’Barry’s Visit
am sitting here starting at my facebook wall, not knowing what to say or do. i should be starting on my 4th paper for prelims. but, im so exhausted emotionally. i think ive reached the point in my career where i realise that no amount of care and concern will make much of a difference to most students. whether you are there or not there, probably doesnt make a difference.
ppl can say that caring teachers do make a difference. ya, maybe. but, it wouldnt matter even if they weren’t caring. i still spend time talking to students just to see how they are doing, coping with life in sch. i still make students speak their minds and cry so that they’ll feel better after that, and then they can move on. but im really getting busy. im over my head with the amount of work to finish. dont ask me what im busy with. even i cant list it down, because its just bit and pieces of everything that’s cramping up my life.
i have piles of marking to do. i have been contemplating taking a 2 day MC just so that i can hide somewhere and mark. but, then i wouldnt do it, cos then my syllabus wont be covered. i feel guilty each time i go into my 4NA maths class cos i feel im not prepared for the lesson and im falling short of my own expectations of myself when it comes to the delivery of the lesson.
and urgent things that MUST be done have been coming up. ppl say prioritize, but everything seems urgent and impt. and for once, i kinda wish that i was a sucky teacher so that no extra work comes to me. but, thats not the case.
i also learnt this week that students who really care abt you will notice that you arent looking too good. there are just the few of them. the first person who noticed was TGG, who pointed his finger at me and threateningly said, “you dont lie to me, i know you are sad. you better tell me what it is!”. but i refused to say. and then there was SN and TJ. and a few others. at several points today, i just felt like crying. but i hate to cry in front of ppl, so i held it in. but i had to put in so much effort cos saying just a few words would trigger my tear glands. and so i just, smiled, nodded my head and said, “mmmm….” most of the time. but at the end of it all, i had to go to sj room to hide and cry. cos the disappointment from my students was just overwhelming. i feel i shouldnt have worried abt them, i feel i neednt have tried to work out study plans with them, encouraged them, comforted them, or tried to push them to exceed their own expectations, or even bother creating opportunities for them to grow. i feel i shouldnt have thought too much into the mistake that was made. perhaps they would have been happy not being in the competition. i feel maybe it wouldnt have mattered that much to them anyway. i feel the committee wanted their participation more than they did.
so for most part of it, it really wouldnt have mattered. cos i think the sense of ownership and feeling of appreciation would naturally come if it did matter. maybe thats why i feel so cheated. cos i still believed that after all we did for them, they’ll actually feel passionate abt what they do. that they’ll pass on the passion to others. afterall, if they themselves dont feel proud of what they’ve achieved, then whats the worth in that award? they actually dont feel proud of what they have achieved. its that kind of feeling that you work so hard for something that they dont really care for. in the end, we feel happy cos we think they are happy, but actually they dont give a damn. i feel cheated. actually most ppl succeed after they leave sec sch – i feel we shouldnt bother trying so much. when it matters to them, they’ll do it.
but, coming to this realization wasnt easy. as much as i put my heart and soul into education, i think, none of that really matters. and you know whats the funny thing? students are what makes me want to come to sch everyday. and even they can disappoint me.. if i feel this way, i think, its time to leave. perhaps its time for all those newbies out there who get inspired by the teaching advertisements to come into this fraternity. where they can spend a few years here hopeful abt the prospects of everything this fraternity promises.
but me? im tired. im tired of getting disappointed by students i love. im tired of putting in my best effort for ppl who dont really read much into it. after 6 years, i feel, ive reached my height, and fallen back hard to the reality of things. that what we do doesnt really matter. if the kids want it, they’ll do what it takes to achieve it. if they dont want it, they wont bother. maybe thats why the previous batch fought so hard. cos they had the drive to achieve more. maybe this batch doesnt feel thats important. and thats just them. and that doesnt mean they are bad kids. that just means they have different goals in life. and there isnt anything wrong with that isnt it.
i’ll just need to grow into an emotionally stronger person so that when the next person disappoints me, i wouldnt hide in sj room crying my heart out. i’ll grow strong.
why cant ppl live with just minor illnesses? why must there be life taking illnesses?
my cousin who lost his mom to asthma is now at the verge of losing his dad to cancer.
he’s heartbroken. and i dont know what to say to him. in fact, there’s nothing i can say to him. im heartbroken.
i feel like crying because he is so dear to me. and i just feel its so unfair that he might even lose his only other parent. he’s crying so bad he cant even talk………… im so heartbroken……..
it took me almost 1 yr to get over the loss of 3 colleagues from end 2008 to mid 2009. suffice to say, i dont deal very well with losses. but, ive grown to realise and understand that when someone makes a decision to leave, the decision is made. no one can stop them. if one day i decide to leave, nothing anyone says will keep me. as harsh as it may sound. the sad thing is, im actually starting to believe in what No 1 always says, “no one is indispensible”. thats true. a company cannot run if someone is indispensible. there always must be someone else who can do the job. if not you, there’s someone else. after KM left, i thought his legacy will remain forever. childish right? so when i asked the then sec 2s, whether they missed KM, they said, “why will we miss the DM?” and it occured to me that there are ppl who never got to experience what KM was really like. likewise, there will be ppl who will never get to know what someone is really like once she leaves. there will be ppl who will never get to experience her. there will be ppl who will never get to be mentored by her. there will be ppl who will never know she existed. to think that at the end of it, this is what everyone’s life becomes. a passing phase. at the end of the day, we are just one person who can be replaced.
i cried today. even in public. it pained me that much. and yet i understood that the decision was made. and nothing anyone says will matter much. shouldnt matter much anyway. because i might, one day, too. but, losing ppl is not something im good at. it is still sad.
