![]() It has been a while since I last updated. I will now give a quick one. Life has been very hectic. After a very overwhelming period where I was juggling way more than I can chew, I quit a medical device startup team that I have been attempting to mesh properly with for almost half a year. Knowing whether the leadership or team dynamics is something one wants, is of absolute priority in collaborations. I have no doubt, that perhaps there are others who are better suited in the hierarchical structure that team has at the moment. It just wasn't my cup of tea. With that out of the way, I am now more focused on my education startup, tutoring gigs, high school course teaching, and forensics (MUN/eng debate/etc) coaching. During the course of this semester, my tooth problem worsened a bit and I am scheduled for root canal therapy. While it will cost me some, it is not as bad as the fees in the U.S. At the time of diagnosis however, I felt very unhappy and stressed because I was swamped with too much stuff. I was very displeased and sleep-deprived every day. It did not help that my weekends seemed to be peppered with "small trips" or "fun stuff" that people close to me wanted to do. I couldn't be a hermit at all. It sucked. So yes, letting go of the one thing that seemed least enticing and fruitful immediately lowered my stress level, lessened my tooth discomfort, and gave me more sleep and rest. Aside from dropping out of the med startup, new developments this semester include:
That is all for the moment. I will update when I think of something that I haven't talked, probably about later in the month or the beginning of January 2022. Cheers people! And may the pandemic truly wane down before the summer of 2022!
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![]() We all have those moments where we feel the overwhelm effect of life is gaining on us. As an adult, we tell ourselves that it is just a slump. A momentary lapse in life. It will pass. But recently I have been pondering on whether I have swamped myself to the point where there is not enough space for me to live my life. It is clear to me now that I am actually overworking beyond my capacity. I am juggling so many things: tutoring, mentoring English debate and MUN clubs on and off-campus, giving speeches and workshops around the country, setting up my Education Legion team (https://educationlegion.site/) for future critical thinking teaching developments, and more recently, entering a medical device startup. I am not sure how I managed to stay alive, but my body is telling me my flu might not be seasonal reasons. It could be a red light in regards to my hectic work routine that is flooding my life. I urge everyone to do the same and ask yourself whether the situation right now is the best we can have. If not, what can we do to make it better, and most importantly, what is it that we actually want in life. With everything we are working, can it be fulfilled? Because I am asking myself that very question these 2 weeks. And I am still trying to sort out what is best for myself so that my body won't swirl further into a shitstorm of chaos and sickness. Stay safe, have a bit of fun. I hope your weekend time has been fruitful and pensive like mine. ![]() Just a heads-up, people! As of Oct. 21st, 2021, I am full vaccinated with 2 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. That means, in about 2 weeks time, I will be more than ready to work beyond the borders of my daily confines and tutoring locations. This is exciting news! Many people feel trapped during the summer and we are lucky to have such great medical healthcare workforce holding the frontlines for us. My mood has significantly changed after the 2nd dose. I was so happy to get the vaccine, the side effects did not exactly "bother" me at all. Going out to teach has made me more productive as well. It is safe to say that online teaching, while interesting and amusing at first, can not replace face-to-face instructing and mentoring. Teachers can not effectively teach when student-teacher relationship, like any human relationship, requires more than just audiovisual information. Human relationships require us to have the real-life connection to happen. For now, it is just healthy vigilance and face mask in crowded areas while we wait for the oral pill(s) to counter the COVID-19. Hopefully something like the Tamiflu pill which, when taken diligently for 7 days, will kill off the influence A and B virus infection. They say miracles don't happen that often. The "miracles" that do, most of the time were an outcome of hard work and patience. That's what happened in Taiwan. Thank you Taiwan, and I hope to contribute more soon. ![]() There are many who encourage multiple streams of income. That is quite true and beneficial to having a comfortable life. However, what can we do when the fatigue sets in? The virus outbreak in May 2021 no doubt placed extra pressure on school teachers. However, those afflicted most were the cram school teachers, private tutors, and slash professionals like me. There is nothing more strenuous than having to stare at a screen from the moment one wakes up almost all the way till sleeping time. Everything is packed into the desk and laptop. With the pandemic, I added the Bluetooth speakers AND the Blue SNOWBALL microphone to my working mix. At first it was fun but as time progressed, it became less and less fun. Couple this with my Education Legion Projects and university/high school collaborations, as well as an exciting medical device startup project, and the perfect emotional storm is just brewing and swirling. I am perpetually working and feeling the rewards less and less gratifying. My summer was completely swallowed as I hid at home, worried that I would catch that dreaded virus. Nothing seemed happier than looking at the clouds. I just did not see this pandemic ending at all. It is now October and thanks for the remnant vaccine dose I luckily received near the end of July 2021, I am more relieved, but my joy has yet to return. Taiwan is temporarily back to pe-May 2021 levels but the COVID-19 variants are still lurking and waiting to make some crazy splash if we are not careful. I feel like I am on a marathon race where stamina is tested beyond measure. It is safe to say that the fatigue is mental rather than physical. I have considered taking anti-depressants but am refraining from using them because of fear of dependence. Our mental clock is strong and fragile. Once broken, it can never be like what it was before. While 1-3 of my students are now going back to face-to-face tutoring, the majority are still trapped in the online Google Meet sessions that I use so often it is like breathing every day. Let's pray the pandemic wanes soon, and that 2022 will be the final year for the virus to still stir chaos in Taiwan and the world. After working in the Eng debate (6 yrs) and recently Model United Nations (2 yrs) environment for some time, I think a personal reflection is long overdue. A quick rundown would be that a) there is MUCH work to be done in order to make Eng debate and/or MUN more popular and positive for student, b) learning Westernized activities such as Eng debate and MUN should have teaching professionals within and outside of school that endorse the teaching methods of the West, and c) public education in extracurricular activities should and can be improved with appropriate and discussed outside help.
Some of the remarks in the following post may be too straightforward or direct for a Taiwanese traditional conservative's ego or face. If you feel you are incapable of handling the intensity of such articles, feel free to skip what's below. I am not here to please anyone. I merely speak of what is being observed and deduced. In Taiwan, getting a decent job as an English teacher, on average, is quite competitive and challenging sometimes. Recently, a post regarding how to get a job in Taiwan showed up in a Facebook forum and many began to pour out the negativity they had experienced in finding jobs. I don't blame them. I have been there before, but I tried my best to figure out how to make the best of MY own situation. Regardless of your assets, you have to do with what you have and keep moving forward. My response on the post received quite a bit of support so I am here to share it with you all. YES, THIS IS NO SECRET. Sometimes, we just have to hear it from someone else to face our own denial on the challenges ahead.
Introduction
For decades, Taiwanese education has struggled in several areas as dedicated educators are challenged and pressured in the aura of test-oriented social and professional work setting. Public and private school instructors teaching English as a foreign language were not excluded from the plight of entrance exams and test scores. The 108 curriculum seems to provide room for more innovative and interactive classes to burgeon. While it is harder for public education to react swift enough as a single entity, ripples of education reforms can slowly build the momentum for transformations. My weekends are almost officially off limits now. I need all the energy in the world to recover from my recent flu, but the truth is I needed this break way before the flu happened. I won't be testing my limits like this again.
Last year, I did it because I love my cat Mr. Black and the person who killed him had the nerve to ask us to pay for his motorcycle repair. I didn't know how much he was going to ask so I decided to EARN as much as I can so that Mr. Black won't have to worry about us. Things changed. I received more offers for talks and Wuling Vikings season preparations for English debate started a little bit earlier than I expected. I have to prioritize and make the best of things. Age is a curious thing indeed. Time to check in with my inner peace and fitness conditions. It really is a bummer but it is what it is. I might try to look into Tai-Chi or some martial arts to take so that my body will be in balance. There are many people who comfort others saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." It has gone on so many times I wonder if it has not become a cliche because people see the word God. Former lawyer and attorney Michael Josephson's quote has a stronger message than just passively waiting. "If one door to opportunity closes, find another. There are more doors than you need. Just keep looking until you find the right one."
As my English debate training expertise has become more and more widespread, I forget that there are always naysayers and also doubters. The strength of my training is not so much about the techniques or strategies, but rather, how I inject a sense of unity and purpose for committed students. I am an advocate of developing talent and fighters who know what they are doing and why they have to keep at doing their tasks. Always looking for the long run. That's how winning is done. Sometimes the victories along the road are just little markers on the highway that signal to us how far we have come along the journey. Unorthodox as it may sound, the SOAP progression notes we have become so used to as medical interns and beyond, has become something new I am working on for my personal teaching journal.
Over the years, my memory power has become less and less intact. It is a sign of aging and the increasingly complex tasks I have beforehand. There is nothing shameful about it. Even the brightest and quickest of minds have to have some sort of organization. The progress notes of a patient during their stay in the hospital are quite simple. It follows an S-O-A-P format. S for subjective. O for objective. A for assessment. P for plan. The first 2 weeks, I did do that, but unlike hospital patients, students don't tend to change as much from week to week. So now I will write when I see fit. Here's a quick look at what SOAP notes are. |
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